Lib Dems push health warnings on teens’ social media and two-hour doomscrolling cap

The Liberal Democrats on Friday unveiled a package of online-safety proposals aimed at teenagers, including cigarette-style health warnings on social media used by under-18s and a two-hour cap on how long young users can access short-form video feeds. Announcing the plan at the party’s autumn conference in Bournemouth, technology spokesperson Victoria Collins argued that excessive scrolling and the algorithms behind popular apps pose identifiable risks to mental health and sleep, and that young people deserve to enter these experiences with clearer information about potential harms.

Collins said the health warnings would not ban access or connections, but would ensure that teenagers go online with their eyes open to the risks. “When we pick up a pack of cigarettes or a bottle of wine, we expect to be told about the harm those products will pose to our health,” she will argue. “So why is social media, the key driver of a crisis in young people’s mental health, any different?” The plan draws on the familiar model of graphic warnings used on cigarette packets in the UK since 2008 and contrasts it with suggestions for social media’s health messaging.

The Lib Dems frame the proposal as part of a broader push to reform online environments for children, noting that the government is already exploring similar health-warmings concepts as part of its 10-year NHS plan, including possible alcohol health warnings. They point to research they say links excessive use to anxiety, sleep disruption and shortened attention spans, and they cite proposals from former U.S. health adviser Vivek Murthy that under-18s should be guided toward research on the mental health impact of social media. The party also highlights ongoing policy debates around smartphone use in schools and how UK authorities regulate platforms to alter the feeds shown to young users.

About the scope of youth online use, Collins emphasized that the two-hour cap would apply to individual social media apps rather than the entire device. Ofcom data show children aged eight to 17 spend between two and five hours online each day, a statistic the Lib Dems say underscores the need for targeted controls. The plan comes amid a wider policy discussion: the Labour government has been weighing a two-hour cap on app usage for under-18s and a 22:00 curfew on screen time, though ministers have acknowledged that delivery has lagged behind rhetoric on online-safety commitments. Collins argued that ministers have “made noise” about online safety but had yet to deliver on time limits and stronger curbs.

The debate over how to regulate smartphones in schools has intensified in recent years. Conservatives have urged a England-wide ban on smartphones in classrooms, a move opposed by Labour, which has stopped short of a schoolwide ban but is reviewing guidance that would permit headteachers to ban devices. The Lib Dem plan places responsibility on platform operators to implement visible health warnings and enforce time limits for youth accounts, while maintaining that teens could still use social media with protective measures in place.

Beyond warnings and caps, the policy package touches on how platforms use algorithms that determine what appears in feeds for younger users. The government has already required changes to feed algorithms for younger audiences under new age-verification rules set to take effect later this year, and the Lib Dems argue stronger, mandatory disclosures and restrictions are warranted given the rise in youth mental health concerns. The party frames its proposals as pragmatic and proportionate steps that would preserve connection with peers and information while reducing exposure to potentially harmful content and addictive design.

Industry opponents of such measures caution that warning labels and time limits could drive users to work around controls or degrade user experience. Critics also note that social media platforms already face a patchwork of regulatory and voluntary safety initiatives, and that any new approach would require clear definitions, robust enforcement, and safeguards against unintended consequences, such as pushing teens toward unregulated spaces. Supporters, however, say these steps would align online safety with other public-health practices, providing a clearer framework for digital consumption among younger people and reinforcing informed decision-making when they log on.

As the policy debate continues, Lib Dem officials say their plan would form part of a broader recalibration of how technology companies are regulated to protect younger users without severing social connections or limiting access to educational or supportive content. It remains to be seen how these proposals would interact with ongoing regulatory reforms, parliamentary debates, and the practical challenges of enforcing age-based protections in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.