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Hundreds of UK teenagers to trial six-week social media curbs for major study
UK NewsPoliticsTechnology•March 25, 2026 at 3:19 PMNational

Hundreds of UK teenagers to trial six-week social media curbs for major study

By Alexandra Topping and Robert Booth•The Guardian - UK News

Government’s pilot ban for under-16s accompanies consultation as peers vote on Australia-style restrictionsHundreds of UK teenagers will trial social media bans, digital curfews and time limits on apps under a government pilot, which will run alongside a consultation to decide whether the UK should ban access to social media for the under-16s.During the test, led by the UK government, a proportion of 300 teens across all four nations of the UK will have their social apps disabled, “mimicking the enforcement of a social media ban at home”. Continue reading...

Government’s pilot ban for under-16s accompanies consultation as peers vote on Australia-style restrictions

Hundreds of UK teenagers will trial social media bans, digital curfews and time limits on apps under a government pilot, which will run alongside a consultation to decide whether the UK should ban access to social media for the under-16s.

During the test, led by the UK government, a proportion of 300 teens across all four nations of the UK will have their social apps disabled, “mimicking the enforcement of a social media ban at home”.

Continue reading...