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• Sun Jun 8 2025

Government considers social media time limits for children

3 days ago Share Save Adam Hale BBC News Zoe Kleinman ? @zsk Technology editor Share Save

Getty Images Plans being discussed by ministers include limiting the time children can spend on social media apps

The government is considering introducing tougher online safety measures to limit the amount of time children can spend on social media, the BBC understands. Proposals include a two-hour cap on the use of individual social media apps and a 22:00 curfew, as first reported by the Sunday People and the Mirror. Appearing on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said he was looking at the "addictive nature of some of the apps and smartphones", when asked whether time limits would be considered. But an online safety campaigner has accused the government of delaying bringing in new laws to protect children.

Ian Russell, whose daughter, Molly, took her own life at 14 after seeing harmful content online, said: "Every day the government has delayed bringing in tougher online safety laws we've seen more young lives lost and damaged because of weak regulation and inaction by big tech." Mr Russell, who backed the previous government's Online Safety Act, said only "stronger and more effective" legislation would "finally change the dial on fundamentally unsafe products and business models that prioritise engagement over safety." "Parents up and down the country would be delighted to see the prime minister act decisively to quell the tsunami of harm children face online, but sticking plasters will not do the job," he added. Kyle told the BBC he had not been able to speak publicly about the government's plans to toughen online safety laws because legislation passed by the previous Conservative government in 2023 had yet to be enacted. "This year we've had illegal content that needs to be taken down, but in July, age-appropriate material must be supplied by platforms, otherwise there'll be criminal sanctions against them," he told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme. He said that he had been looking carefully at what government needed to do next to "nail down harder" on safety, "understand what a healthy online life for children" looked like and "stop the barriers" towards achieving that.

Getty Images Peter Kyle has said previously that laws on internet safety are "very uneven" and "unsatisfactory"

Curfews, along with screen time limits for both apps and devices overall, are already available to parents who use Apple or Google's parental controls. TikTok introduced a 60 minute screen time limit by default for under 18s in 2023, although it can be switched off. Instagram invites users of all ages to set their own limit, after which they can opt to be blocked for the rest of the day. However, it is not known how many people choose to activate these controls. In a speech last year, Sir Nick Clegg - the former director of public affairs at Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram - said parental take-up of tools designed to help them manage their children's online activities was low. Some parents say this is because there are so many offered by individual apps and companies that they find them overwhelming.