UK teen social media curfew: government's own data doesn't back it up

On 16 July 2026, the UK government proposed a voluntary midnight-to-6am social media ban for 16- and 17-year-olds. It pointed to a trial where over 90% of teens kept the new limits turned on. But that same research found teens' total social media use barely changed — meaning they followed the rules but still scrolled just as much.