The United Kingdom government has said teenagers may face an overnight social media curfew under proposed measures aimed at reducing excessive screen time.

Under the proposal, social media apps such as TikTok and YouTube would be unavailable by default to 16- and 17-year-olds between midnight and 6:00 a.m.

The government also wants features considered addictive such as auto-play and infinite scroll to be disabled by default, noting that, together with the curfew, the measures would help improve teenagers’ concentration, sleep quality and family life.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said she does not want teenagers becoming addicted to social media when they start using it at 16.

“These measures will be crucial in helping young people get the sleep they need, focus on school and college, and spend more quality time with family and friends, all of which are fundamental to building a happy, healthy and fulfilling adult life,” she said.

“We want young people to enjoy the benefits of technology while having the tools to make the online world a place where they can thrive.”

The proposals follow the government’s announcement in June that children under 16 in the UK would be banned entirely from a range of social media platforms.

However, the Conservative shadow education secretary, Laura Trott, described the plan as “a dog’s dinner.”

“Either they think 16 and 17-year-olds should be on social media or they don’t, but curfews they can simply switch off won’t achieve anything,” she said.