Ministers consider social media curfew and AI chatbot restrictions to keep children safe online
Ministers are considering an overnight curfew on children’s social media use as part of new measures to keep young people safe online.
The government will also examine 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 process with parents, guardians and young people across the UK that will start on Monday. The Department of Science, Innovation and Technology is seeking views on whether Australian-style regulation of children’s use of social media is needed and at what age it could start.
Technology secretary Liz Kendall said: “The path to a good life is a wonderful childhood filled with love, learning and play. This is as true in the online world as it is in the real world.”
“We know parents everywhere are grappling with how much screen time their kids should be spending, when they should give them a phone, what they’re seeing online, and the impact all of this has.
“That’s why we’re asking children and parents to attend 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 turn off addictive features that could keep children awake late at night.
These include infinite scrolling and autoplay features on video content.
Separate versions of the survey for adults, children and youth will be published.
Ministers plan to complete the consultation on 26 May and will then aim to respond in the summer.
The technology minister and the prime minister have vowed to quickly change the law based on the responses they gather.
Last month Sir Keir Starmer announced a crackdown on illegal AI-generated content, saying makers of AI chatbots that put children at risk would face huge 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 “act quickly to close a legal loophole and force all AI chatbot providers to comply with 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 their parents who are desperate to keep them safe.”
The consultation comes after Mumsnet launched a campaign to ban social media for under-16s and liken its health impact to provocative advertising for cigarettes.
The ads, which will be posted on billboards and social media, claim that “three hours or more of social media a day increases the likelihood of young people self-harming.” They also point to the risk of anxiety and eating disorders as harms resulting from social media use.
