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The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has declared that no online platform will be exempt from responsibilities regarding children’s safety on the internet under forthcoming regulations. New measures are set to include powers that allow for swift legal updates to address emerging online behaviors and to safeguard children’s social media and online data, an initiative driven by the campaign group Jools’ Law.
This announcement comes amid criticism from opposition voices who have condemned the government’s approach as insufficient, urging Parliament to have a say on imposing a social media ban for children. The government has planned a public consultation for March that will explore restrictions on children’s access to AI chatbots and the practice of infinite scrolling, also known as doomscrolling. These steps follow earlier tensions between ministers and X’s Elon Musk after the Grok AI chatbot on the platform was misused to generate fake nude images of women.
Sir Keir emphasized the government’s commitment by stating, “The action we took on Grok sent a clear message that no platform gets a free pass.” He added that as technology rapidly advances, laws must evolve in tandem to ensure that Britain leads in online safety regulations rather than lags behind. Among other proposals are efforts to prevent children bypassing restrictions through virtual private networks (VPNs) in order to access pornography and changing the law to require chatbots to shield users from illegal content.
Further reforms inspired by Jools’ Law concern the storage and accessibility of children’s social media data as part of the Crime and Policing Bill. The case of Ellen Roome, whose 14-year-old son Jools died after an internet challenge, highlights the urgency of this change. Currently, requests for a deceased child’s data must be made within 12 months by authorities, but often this information is deleted before it can be retrieved. New rules will mandate preserving such data within five days if it is potentially relevant to the cause of death. Roome hopes that these changes will help grieving families find answers, though she also stresses the need to prevent harm before tragedies occur.
Lord Nash, a Conservative former minister and advocate for stricter social media controls for children, praised the government’s adoption of Jools’ Law but urged raising the age limit to 16 for the most harmful platforms to prevent future tragedies. Meanwhile, Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott criticized the consultation plan as “inaction,” claiming the UK is falling behind other nations and insisting that under-16s should be barred from accessing these platforms. Liberal Democrat spokesperson Munira Wilson echoed concerns about delays, calling for a clearer timeline on taking decisive action.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall responded by affirming the government’s resolve, stating it is “determined to give children the childhood they deserve and to prepare them for the future at a time of rapid technological change,” promising not to delay the measures families need
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