Britain is planning to introduce a new social media curfew for 16- and 17-year-olds, encouraging them to stay off certain platforms between midnight and 6am.
The restriction, expected to roll out from next spring, will be switched on by default but won't be compulsory. Teenagers will be able to opt out by changing their account settings.
The UK government is also looking at disabling features such as autoplay and infinite scrolling as part of wider efforts to reduce online harms among young people.
When teenagers were asked what they thought about the proposal, their responses showed that opinions are far from unanimous.
In an interview by The Guardian, Harvey, 16, questioned whether an optional curfew would achieve its intended purpose.
"If someone is addicted to social media and they can simply switch the curfew off, they'll probably do exactly that," he said.
At the same time, Harvey believes flexibility is important. He explained that there are occasions when he stays up later to watch educational videos or discuss major sporting events with friends, adding that not every late-night screen session is unproductive.
Another teen Archie (not his real name), 17, also questioned the opt-out approach.
"In theory, I like the idea. But if it's optional, what's the point?" he said, adding that he already relies on built-in reminders on Instagram and TikTok to help manage his screen time.
Although Archie supports limiting addictive features such as infinite scrolling, he believes those restrictions shouldn't apply only to teenagers.
Meanwhile, Alex, 16, feels older teenagers should have more freedom to decide when they use social media.
Living independently while balancing college and work, he argued that many 16-year-olds are already trusted with significant responsibilities, so deciding when to be online should also be a personal choice.
Meliha, 16, shares a slightly different view.
While she doesn't support a curfew for 16- and 17-year-olds, she believes similar restrictions could be appropriate for children under 16.
She also supports the opt-out approach, saying it gives teenagers more choice instead of forcing one rule on everyone.
"The opt-out gives more of a choice rather than forcing a rule. It gives us more independence. Not every teenager uses social media the same way, so a flexible approach could be more appropriate than just one big rule," she said.
Source: The Guardian