The UK government has launched a wide-ranging public consultation on children’s digital wellbeing, asking whether new measures are needed to protect young people online, on social media, gaming platforms and AI chatbots.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said the three-month consultation, published March 2, will examine options that include a minimum age for social media, mandatory overnight curfews, stricter age verification, and requirements for platforms to disable “addictive” design features such as infinite scrolling and autoplay for younger users. The consultation also seeks views on whether children should be able to use AI chatbots without restrictions, amid growing concern that some young people treat chatbots like real people and rely on their advice.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said parents across the country are struggling with questions about screen time, when to give children a phone, what children are seeing online, and the effects on sleep, concentration and mental health. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said technology can support learning and creativity, but only “if we get the balance right,” and confirmed the government will publish guidance on healthy screen time for children aged 5 to 16.
The government said the Online Safety Act introduced significant protections, but that there is growing agreement that further action may be needed. Campaigners have called for an outright ban on social media for under-16s, but the government said it is looking beyond a blanket ban, citing concerns that restrictions could push children toward less regulated parts of the internet or leave teenagers unprepared when they eventually come online.
Alongside the consultation, the government plans to run “real-world” pilots with families and teenagers to test how interventions such as social media bans, overnight curfews and daily screen time limits might work in practice. Ministers also pointed to proposed new legislative powers intended to allow faster updates as technology evolves.
The consultation is open to parents, carers, young people, educators, civil society groups, academics and industry, and will close May 26. The government said it will respond in the summer.
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