Responding to the government's announcement of new social media curfews for 16 and 17-year-olds, Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said:

“We have said all along that a ban on social media for under 16s alone would not be a silver bullet in protecting children from harm and could expose young people to a dangerous cliff edge when they turn 16.

“We said any ban would need to be backed up by other measures and therefore welcome the government’s move to bring forward additional safeguards.

“School leaders tell us how excessive screentime, including scrolling late at night, affects pupils’ concentration in the classroom.

“We therefore support the idea of daily screen time limits and age restrictions on addictive features including infinite scrolling, autoplay and personalised content recommendations, and we had also called for better protections when it comes to AI chatbots.

“Schools already play their part in educating children about the benefits and risks of online spaces, and this action to regulate online spaces will of course be supported in the classroom.

“Updates to the national curriculum to bolster that support are certainly needed, and it is important that guidance for schools and parents is regularly updated given the fast-moving digital landscape.

“The government must ensure its new guardrails and protections are reinforced at home, school, across society, and crucially, by the online platforms themselves.”