New research by Online Responsibility Network (ORN) has revealed widespread resistance among teenagers to the government’s proposed overnight social media curfews, raising questions about how effective the policy will be in protecting children from online harms.
Last month, the government announced plans to introduce default social media settings that would prevent 16 and 17-year-olds from accessing platforms between midnight and 6am, although users would be able to disable this restriction.
Our new research* has uncovered 16-18-year-olds are unlikely to embrace the curfew voluntarily:
• The vast majority (85%) plan to opt-out and turn off the curfew settings on their social media platforms.
• A quarter (24%) plan to use VPNs to override the curfew.
• Boys and girls would disable the curfew restrictions for different reasons, with boys more likely to disable restrictions to watch content (42%), while girls are more likely to do so to stay in touch with family and friends (49%).
• Boys are significantly more likely than girls to use VPNs to get around the curfew, with one in three boys (33%) expecting to do so compared with one in five girls (20%).
Despite growing concerns around screen time, late-night social media use remains commonplace amongst teenagers. Almost four in ten (39%) 16–18-year-olds use social media between 9pm and 11pm, while more than a third (35%) continue scrolling between 11pm and 1am.
As the Government explores new measures to protect young people online, experts at ORN believe the focus should move beyond broad service-level restrictions and towards design feature-level protections supported by robust age assurance. This approach is more likely to create age-appropriate online experiences while addressing the specific features and functionalities that contribute to online harms.
The Online Responsibility Network launched this year to help brands improve their online safety standards and implement the Online Safety Act.
Leanne Proctor, Regulatory Lead at Online Responsibility Network, commented on the findings: “This research suggests the proposed social media curfew is unlikely to be enough on its own to prevent online harms. The findings show that many young people expect to opt out of the restrictions or find ways around them, raising questions about how effective the policy will be in practice.
"There is no single solution to protecting children online. Rather than relying on broad service-level restrictions, greater focus should be placed on design feature-level protections and robust age assurance, helping to ensure young people have age-appropriate experiences without unnecessarily restricting access.
"Everyone has a part to play in making the internet a safer place, including platforms and brands. Organisations that take online safety seriously and build it into the design of their products and services will be better placed to meet consumer expectations and deliver meaningful change."
*Research undertaken by Censuswide on behalf of Online Responsibility Network between the 21st July – 27th July of 1,000 16-18 year olds.