The UK government has launched a significant consultation aimed at exploring measures to protect children online, covering areas from social media to gaming platforms and AI chatbots. This consultation will consider several potential measures, including a ban on social media for children, restrictions on gaming, limits on AI chatbot features, and implementing overnight curfews. It will also assess how such changes could work in practice, with real-world pilots involving families and teenagers to test the effectiveness of these measures.
Parents, guardians, and young people across the UK are encouraged to participate in shaping the country’s future digital safety policies. The consultation aims to address concerns about the impact of screen time, social media addiction, and AI chatbots on children’s mental health and well-being. Many parents are worried about how social media affects their children’s sleep, concentration, and mental health, feeling overwhelmed by the challenges posed by platforms designed to keep children engaged.
While the Online Safety Act has already introduced robust protections, there is a growing recognition that more needs to be done. Contributions from this consultation will guide the government on what additional measures are necessary to enhance online safety for children. The consultation will explore key questions such as setting a minimum age for social media use, curbing addictive platform features, enforcing overnight curfews, and regulating AI chatbot interactions.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall emphasized that the consultation is part of a broader effort to ensure that children thrive in both the real and digital worlds. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson highlighted the importance of balancing technology’s benefits with its risks, ensuring children have healthy experiences online. The consultation will also provide guidance on healthy screen time for children aged 5 to 16, offering parents practical tools to help manage their children’s digital habits.
Open to a wide range of participants, including parents, carers, young people, educators, and industry stakeholders, the consultation will run for three months, closing on 26 May 2026. The government will respond swiftly to the evidence gathered and has announced new legislative powers to expedite action based on the consultation’s findings. The initiative also includes live pilots with teenagers to test potential interventions like social media bans and curfews, grounding policy decisions in real-world evidence.
The consultation is part of a broader effort to engage the public on the issue, with national conversations, community events, and academic panels helping to gather insights. This initiative will be supported by a new campaign offering practical resources to parents, empowering them to have conversations with their children about online content.
