British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has committed to tightening loopholes in laws designed to protect children online, insisting that no platform will be given a “free pass” on  children's safety.

 

The government is considering a range of measures, including a requirement for tech companies to preserve all data on a child’s device if they die, a proposal campaigned for by the Jools’ Law group. Officials are also consulting on a potential ban for under-16s from social media platforms.

 

A public consultation is scheduled for March, seeking views on restricting children’s access to AI chatbots and limiting features such as infinite scrolling, commonly referred to as doomscrolling. The move follows earlier disputes between ministers and X’s Elon Musk, after the platform’s Grok AI chatbot was reportedly used to create fake nude images of women and children.

 

Keir said the government now wants powers that would allow it to act quickly on consultation findings, rather than waiting years for new legislation each time technology evolves. “Technology is moving really fast, and the law has got to keep up. With my government, Britain will be a leader, not a follower, when it comes to online safety,” he said.

 

The Online Safety Act, passed in 2023, predates the rise of AI chatbots such as ChatGPT. Planned amendments to the law and the Crime and Policing Bill aim to include these technologies and ensure they protect users from illegal content.

 

Other measures under consideration include preventing children from bypassing restrictions using Virtual Private Networks and addressing age-limit enforcement.

 

In a post on Substack, Keir Stammer, a parent of two teenagers, said social media has evolved in the past two decades to a form that “is quietly harming our children.” He added that the government will seek powers to address addictive features, including auto-play and endless scrolling. “And if that means a fight with the big social media companies, then bring it on,” he said.

 

Ellen Roome, whose son Jools died at 14, said: “This going forward will help other bereaved families. What we now need to do is stop the harm happening in the first place.” Lord Nash, a former Conservative minister, also welcomed the adoption of Jools’ Law.