Major modifications to children’ social media loom as PM warns tech giants ‘no free go’
Plans to curb children’s smartphone use, such as a social media ban for under 16s or app curfews, could be published within months as the Government pledges to act swiftly
The Government is considering slapping restrictions on children’s use of social media(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Ministers will close a legal loophole to protect children from harmful interactions with AI chatbots.
Social media firms will also be forced to preserve kids’ social media data after pleas from bereaved parents desperate for answers after their child’s death. It comes after the Mirror revealed that plans to curb children’s smartphone use, such as a social media ban for under 16s or app curfews, could be published within months.
Kids could be prevented from using virtual private networks (VPNs) and restrictions could be put in place to stop doom scrolling.
The Government will set aside new legal powers in the upcoming Children’s and Wellbeing Bill to allow it to act swiftly once a consultation launched next month is complete. Tonight, Keir Starmer warned “no platform gets a free pass” as he pledged to help parents navigate the social media minefield.
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He said: “As a dad of two teenagers, I know the challenges and the worries that parents face making sure their kids are safe online. 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.”
The PM previously waded into a row over the creation of sexualised deepfakes produced by Grok, X’s AI tool. Ofcom, the UK media watchdog, launched a formal investigation into whether the social media giant had breached its legal obligations over the chatbot’s creation of undressed images of people without their consent.
Mr Starmer said: “The action we took on Grok sent a clear message that no platform gets a free pass. Today we are closing loopholes that put children at risk, and laying the groundwork for further action.
“We are acting to protect children’s wellbeing and help parents to navigate the minefield of social media.”
The Government will table an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill to cover all chatbots not currently in scope of the Online Safety Act to protect their users from illegal content.
Megan Garcia became the first parent to sue Character.ai after blaming the app for the death of her son Sewell. The 14-year-old was talking to a character on the AI-powered chatbot night and day in the months leading up to when he took his own life in 2024, his mother said.
“It’s like having a predator or a stranger in your home,” Ms Garcia told the BBC last year. “And it is much more dangerous because a lot of the times children hide it – so parents don’t know.”
Another amendment will be laid to force social media firms to preserve data after a child’s death. It comes as five British families are suing TikTok in the United States following the deaths of their children.
Ellen Roome, from Cheltenham, told The Mirror last month that her child Julian “Jools” Sweeney may have died after a social media challenge went wrong but she has been blocked from accessing his account.
TikTok said it can no longer access the watch or search history as it is required to delete people’s personal data under the law.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said: “We will not wait to take the action families need, so we will tighten the rules on AI chatbots and we are laying the ground so we can act at pace on the results of the consultation on young people and social media.
“We are determined to give children the childhood they deserve and to prepare them for the future at time of rapid technological change.”
