TEENAGERS could be banned from late night scrolling on social media.
Prime Minister is considering slapping a curfew on 16 and 17-year-olds using social media late at night, which could be announced next week.
Teens could be banned from late night scrolling on social media Credit: Getty
The proposals are partly inspired by the social media ban seen in Australia for under-16s Credit: PA
A number of sources have revealed that 16-17 year-olds could have curfews placed on their social media usage, the Times reports.
It is not yet clear what time the curfew would come into effect.
Last month, it was revealed that the will for under-16s.
He is also set to block teens from using certain , like creating and watching live streams and communicating with adult strangers.
AI chatbots used for romantic or sexual purposes will also be blocked for under 18s.
These proposals are partly inspired by the social media ban seen in for under-16s.
The UK’s AI and online safety minister, Kanishka Narayan, visited Australia last month to gather evidence on the ban’s impact and effectiveness.
But the UK’s version of the restrictions will have more nuance than the blanket ban down under.
The anticipated announcement will be made just days before the Makerfield by-election next Thursday.
Starmer hopes the policy proves popular with the public and helps him gain support during a tricky time in his premiership.
Initially, the PM was against limiting children’s social media usage, but the government opened a public consultation in March to gather public feeling on the matter.
It closed in May and received a huge 120,000 responses, making it the second largest government consultation in .
Of the responses, around nine in 10 parents supported a ban on social media.
There has also been pressure from politicians across the political spectrum to move forward with the ban.
As a result, Starmer said that the response “showed the strength of feeling about the issue”.
, the secretary, said her department will act “immentely” and told that social media bosses have had ample time to tackle the issues with their platforms.
She said: “They’ve had their chance. Time and time and time again, they have had a chance to put this right. The question isn’t if we’re going to act, it’s how.”
The Sun has approached The Department for , Innovation and Technology for comment.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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