Social media bans and digital curfews to be trialled on UK teenagers

Social media bans and digital curfews to be trialled on UK teenagers

Social media bans, digital curfews and time limits on apps are to be trialled in the homes of hundreds of UK teenagers.

The test, led by the UK government, will see 300 teens involved have their social apps disabled entirely, blocked overnight or capped to one hour's use - with some also seeing no such changes at all - in order to compare their experiences.

Technology secretary Liz Kendall said it was about "testing different options in the real world."

"These pilots will give us the evidence we need to take the next steps, informed by the experiences of families themselves," she added.

Children and parents involved in the government-led trial will also be interviewed before and after the pilot scheme to assess its impact.

Meanwhile, the government's consultation about banning social media for children will continue to run until 26 May.

Such a move has widespread political support - with countries including France, Spain and Indonesia also considering emulating Australia's ban - and the backing of some campaigners and children's charities.

Other experts are more sceptical, warning such restrictions could be easily circumvented or could push children to darker corners of the internet.

But some believe tech companies should make their platforms safer, not just be banned for children.

Rani Govender, associate head of child safety online policy at the NSPCC, said that while the charity welcomed the government's efforts to find the best way to keep young people safe online, it must also be ready to take "decisive action" when its pilot and consultation end.

"This must include ensuring tech companies build safety into every device, platform and AI tool so children do not see harmful or illegal content and can only use age-appropriate services," she told the BBC.

"Failure to deliver on this and a social media ban for under 16s would be better than the status quo."

The Molly Rose Foundation meanwhile said it was "entirely right" for the government to be consult on its next steps rather than "rushing to implement" bans that may not work as intended.

"Parents want decisive and evidence-based measures to protect children online and these tests will provide welcome insights into the practicality and feasibility of further interventions," said its chief executive Andy Burrows.

How will it work?

The pilot scheme will run in the homes of 300 teenagers.

Participants from across the UK will be split into four groups, three of which will try out the different kinds of interventions while the fourth will act as a control group.

The group in which the most popular apps are made totally unavailable is intended to mimic what a social media ban would look like.

The other two groups are intended to provide insights into how more limited restrictions would work, either by capping app use at 60 minutes per day or making them unavailable between 21:00 and 07:00.

Participants will be asked about the impact of limiting social media on their family life, sleep and schoolwork.

The government says they will also be quizzed about the practical challenges they faced, such as the ability to set-up parental controls or "workarounds that the teenagers may find to bypass them".

Data from the pilots will be assessed by officials and academics alongside consultation responses from parents and children.

The government says it has received nearly 30,000 responses so far.

Ministers say the pilot schemes will be complemented by what they call the "world's first major scientific trial looking at the effects of reducing social media use among adolescents".

The independent study, funded by the Wellcome Trust, is set to begin later this year. and will be co-led by the Bradford Institute for Health Research and University of Cambridge psychologist Prof Amy Orben.

Prof Orben told the BBC she was "really proud that the UK is home to this really important research".

The study will recruit 4,000 students aged 12 to 15 from ten Bradford secondary schools and seek to assess the impact of having less access to social media - particularly on areas of their wellbeing such as sleep, anxiety levels, social interactions, as well as absence and bullying in schools.

Prof Orben says it is meant to address the current lack of quality data on both what impact social media currently has on children and what difference restricting it might make.