Ministers are considering introducing overnight curfews on children’s use of social media as part of new measures to keep young people safe online.
The government will also look at restricting children’s access to AI chatbots and whether there should be a minimum age for social media.
The ideas are part of a consultation with parents, guardians and young people across the UK, which opens on Monday. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is inviting views on whether there should be an Australia-style on children from using social media, and at what age this could begin.
Technology secretary Liz Kendall said: “The path to a good life is a great childhood, one full of love, learning and play. That applies just as much to the online world as it does to the real one.
“We know parents everywhere are grappling with how much screen time their children should have, when they should give them a phone, what they are seeing online, and the impact all of this is having.
“This is why we’re asking children and parents to take part in this landmark consultation on how young people can thrive in an age of rapid technological change.
“Together, we will create a digital world that gives young people the childhood they deserve and prepares them for the future.”
The consultation is also expected to ask whether social media platforms should be made to switch off addictive features which can lead their children to stay up late at night.
These include infinite scrolling, and autoplay features on video content.
Separate versions of the survey will be launched tailored towards adults, and for children and young people.
Ministers plan to close the consultation on May 26, and will then aim to respond in the summer.
The technology secretary and prime minister have already vowed to change the law swiftly based on the answers they gather.
Last month, Sir Keir Starmer announced a crackdown on illegal content created by AI and said that makers of AI chatbots that put children at risk will face massive fines or even have their services blocked in the UK.
As more children turn to chatbots for support and advice, the government said it would “move fast to shut a legal loophole and force all AI chatbot providers to abide by illegal content duties in the Online Safety Act or face the consequences of breaking the law”.
Chris Sherwood, chief executive of the NSPCC, said the prime minister was “right that the status quo is not working – not for children or for their parents who are desperate to keep them safe”.
The consultation comes after Mumsnet launched a campaign to introduce a ban on social media for under-16s likening the health impact to cigarettes in provocative advertising.
The ads, which will be put on billboards and social media, claim that “three hours or more social media a day makes teens more likely to self-harm”. They also point to anxiety and risk of eating disorders as harms resulting from social media use.
