UK eyes rapid social media ban for under 16s, AI curbs
The UK could impose an Australian-style ban on social media for children under 16 as early as 2026, as part of the government’s efforts to respond faster to digital risks, closing a loophole that excludes some AI chatbots from security rules.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government launched a consultation on the social media ban on children under 16 in January and is now seeking to amend the legislation to bring in any changes within months of the consultations concluding.
After Australia became the first country in the world to block access to people under the age of 16, Spain, Greece and Slovenia also announced that they were working on bans.
Scrutiny has intensified after it was revealed that Elon Musk’s flagship AI chatbot, Grok, produced non-consensual sexualized images.
Starmer said all AI chatbots should be held accountable.
“We went to war, took the necessary steps, threatened action and won that war against Grok,” Starmer said on Monday. “But we must and will do this with all AI bots.”
Starmer’s remarks follow government action against non-consensual sharing of intimate images on Grok, which later led to the removal of the functionality.
Britain’s Online Safety Act 2023 is one of the world’s strictest security regimes, but it does not cover one-to-one interactions with AI chatbots unless they share information with other users, a loophole technology minister Liz Kendall has said will soon be closed.
He said the UK could not allow regulatory loopholes to continue after it took nearly eight years for the law to be introduced and enforced.
“I, like the Prime Minister, am concerned about the impact of these AI chatbots on children and young people,” Kendall told Times Radio, adding that some children were engaging in one-on-one interactions with AI systems that were not designed with child safety in mind.
He said the government would announce its proposals before June.
Speaking to British media on Monday, Kendall said technology companies would be responsible for ensuring their systems comply with British law.
The government will also consult on changes to introduce automatic data protection orders when a child dies, allowing investigators to secure important online evidence; This is a measure long sought by grieving families.
The consultation will also consider powers to block “foreign matching” on games consoles and prevent the sending or receiving of nude images.
The new measures will be introduced as amendments to existing crime and child protection legislation that is being discussed in parliament.
Although intended to protect children, such measures often have knock-on consequences for adults’ privacy and ability to access services, leading to tensions with the United States over limits on free expression and regulatory access.
Some major pornography sites have blocked British users rather than age-checking, but these blocks can be bypassed using readily available virtual private networks, which the government is considering restricting for minors.
Many parents and safety advocates support a social media ban on children, but Kendall said some child protection groups worry it could push harmful activities into less regulated areas or create a sharp “cliff edge” at age 16.
He said the government still needs to legally define what counts as social media before any ban comes into force.
