Overall purpose is to inform policy decisions by observing impacts on sleep, schoolwork, and family life under different restrictions.

The trial aims to gather real-world evidence on how varying levels of social media access restrictions affect teenage wellbeing, informing potential policy decisions.

The UK government is launching a six-week pilot involving 300 teenagers aged 13 to 17 to test social media restrictions, including time limits, curfews, and potential bans, to study effects on schoolwork, sleep, and family life.

Public input has focused on whether under-16 bans should be considered and how to curb addictive design features in social platforms.

Separately, a Cambridge-led study will recruit about 4,000 pupils aged 12 to 15 to assess effects of reduced social media time on wellbeing, body image, anxiety, sleep, and related outcomes.

Researchers will interview families at the start and end of the trial to evaluate feasibility, challenges, and overall impact of the restrictions.

The trial design includes four groups: control with no changes, parental controls, a one-hour-per-day cap, and a 9pm–7am curfew to compare outcomes.

Participants will be divided into groups testing different approaches: parental controls, a daily one-hour cap on popular apps, a 9pm–7am curfew, or no change as a control.

This trial is part of a wider public consultation on age thresholds and features like infinite scrolling and autoplay, which has attracted around 30,000 responses.

MPs recently rejected an amendment to introduce an under-16 social media ban, highlighting ongoing political debate on the issue.

Key figures cite an evidence-based approach: Technology Secretary and researchers advocate large-scale trials to determine what interventions work.

The government, through the DSIT and Technology Secretary, emphasizes evidence to guide future steps amid a broader consultation on an Australia-style social media ban, which closes on 26 May.