‘No Social Media Platform Gets Free Pass’: UK PM Mulls Wider Internet Controls For Child Safety

Last Updated:February 16, 2026, 07:17 IST

UK PM Kier Starmer said no social media platforms or tech companies would no longer be able to exploit gaps in existing child-safety laws. 

After Australia, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will seek broader powers to regulate internet access, saying it is needed to protect children from fast-changing digital risks.

He said no social media platforms or tech companies would no longer be able to exploit gaps in existing child-safety laws. 

“No social media platform should get a free pass when it comes to protecting our kids. That’s why I’m taking action," reads his post on X.

“As a dad of two teenagers, I know the challenges and the worries that parents face making sure their kids are safe online," he said in his blog. “Technology is moving really fast, and the law has got to keep up."

Possible social media ban for under-16s

Last month, the UK government said it would consult on an Australian-style social media ban for children under 16. Spain, Greece and Slovenia have since said they plan similar bans.

Starmer said Britain would be a leader, not a follower, on online safety.

The children’s digital wellbeing consultation will launch next month and will be guided by what parents and children say they need.

“The dangers of children being groomed, or encouraged to harm themselves, bullying and misogyny – we have been talking about this for years now. What have the social media companies done with that? Where is the great push from them to get their house in order?," he further wrote in his blog.

Crackdown on AI content

The new measures include a crackdown on illegal content created by artificial intelligence.

The government will close a legal loophole and require all AI chatbot providers to follow illegal content duties under the Online Safety Act. Those who fail to comply will face consequences.

This follows government action over non-consensual intimate images shared on Grok, after which the function was removed.

This comes amid the investigation into Elon Musk’s xAI’s Grok AI over data processing for generating harmful sexualised images/videos without consent.

New legal powers

Starmer said his government is taking new legal powers to allow quick action after the consultation, rather than waiting years for new laws.

This could include setting a minimum age limit for social media and restricting harmful features such as infinite scrolling.

The law already makes it illegal to distribute nude images of children. The government will also consult on how to ensure technology companies can stop children from sending or receiving such images.

The consultation will examine restrictions on children’s use of AI chatbots, possible limits on children’s use of VPNs where they undermine safety protections, and changes to the age of digital consent.

It will also ensure that vital data following a child’s death is preserved before deletion, except where online activity is clearly not relevant.

Support for parents

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has launched the “You Won’t Know until You Ask" campaign. It offers guidance on safety settings, advice on discussing online risks with children, and support on dealing with harmful content.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said the government would not wait to take action and would tighten rules on AI chatbots.

Chris Sherwood, chief executive of the NSPCC, welcomed the Prime Minister’s promise to act quickly and hold technology companies to account. He said proper age-limit enforcement and action against addictive design would offer better protection than a blanket ban.

Andy Burrows, chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, said the plans should reassure parents that change is coming. He called for a stronger Online Safety Act to make clear that children’s wellbeing is the cost of doing business in the UK.

Legislative changes

New powers will be tabled in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to allow quick action following the consultation.

An amendment will also be tabled to the Crime and Policing Bill to require chatbots not currently covered by the Online Safety Act to protect users from illegal content.

The proposals will be subject to a vote in the House of Commons.

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