UK Trials Social Media Restrictions on Teens

0:00On March 24th, the UK government is launching a trial with 300 teenagers to test restrictions on social media apps. In homes across the country, some kids will have popular apps fully disabled, others block from 9pm to 7am, and a third group limited to. Just one hour a day, a fourth group gets no changes at all, serving as a control to measure differences. This pilot runs alongside a public consultation on whether to ban social media for under 16s, similar to Australia's approach. Officials have already received nearly 30,000 responses from parents and kids. Participants and their families will be interviewed before and after to gauge the real world effects. Reactions are mixed, with strong backing from politicians and some children's charities who see it as a step towards safer online spaces. Critics worry restrictions could be bypassed or drive teens to riskier parts of the web. Others push for tech companies to build and better safety features from the start.

1:00Alongside the home trial, a major independent study funded by the Welcome Trust kicks off later this year. It will involve 4,000 students aged 12 to 15 from 10 schools in Bradford, tracking changes in sleep, anxiety, social life, and school issues when social media use drops. These efforts aim to fill gaps in evidence on how limits affect young people, informing tougher rules ahead as more countries eye similar moves.