No free pass for internet platforms on child safety, Starmer says

Source: BBC Technology

No online platform will get a “free pass” on children’s safety on the internet in new plans, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said.

There are also plans to introduce powers to speedily change the law in response to developing online behaviours, and to update legislation to preserve children’s social‑media and online data – as campaigned for by the group Jools’ Law.

The government had already said it would launch a public consultation in March, seeking opinions about restricting children’s access to AI chat‑bots and limiting infinite‑scrolling features for children (often called “doomscrolling”).

It follows arguments between ministers and X’s Elon Musk earlier this year, after the platform’s Grok AI chatbot was used to make fake nude images of women.

Ahead of launching the consultation, Sir Keir said:

“The action we took on Grok sent a clear message that no platform gets a free pass.
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.”

Proposed measures

• Rapid legislative powers – to amend the law quickly as new online behaviours emerge.
• Restrictions on AI chat‑bots – requiring them to protect users from illegal content.
• Limits on infinite scrolling – to curb “doomscrolling” among children.
• VPN bans for minors – preventing children from using virtual private networks to illicitly access pornography.
• Data‑preservation rules – under the Crime and Policing Bill, children’s social‑media data must be preserved within five days if it might be relevant to a cause of death, rather than the current 12‑month request window.

Background: Jools’ Law

In 2022, Ellen Roome’s son Jools died aged 14 while attempting an internet challenge. She has never been able to access his online data to determine what went wrong. Under current rules, a child’s data can be requested from tech companies within 12 months of death by a coroner or the police, but often the data is already deleted by then.

The new rules aim to preserve relevant data within five days, giving bereaved families a better chance of obtaining answers.

“This going forward will help other bereaved families,” Roome said. “What we now need to do is stop the harm happening in the first place.”

Lord Nash, a Conservative former minister campaigning for tighter social‑media controls for children, welcomed the adoption of Jools’ Law but urged the government to raise the age limit to 16 for the most harmful platforms.

Reactions

• Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott (Labour) called the consultation “inaction” and said Britain was “lagging behind,” adding, “I am clear that we should stop under‑16s accessing these platforms.”
• Liberal Democrat spokeswoman Munira Wilson accused the government of “kicking the can down the road” and demanded a “much clearer, firm timeline” for action.
• Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said the government is “determined to give children the childhood they deserve and to prepare them for the future at a time of rapid technological change,” and would “not wait” to take the action families need.