PM additionally says he’ll search authorized powers to behave on a session that’s contemplating an Australia-style social media ban for these beneath 16.
Printed On 16 Feb 2026
United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer has introduced a crackdown on synthetic intelligence chatbots that endanger youngsters and pledged to hunt broader powers to manage web entry for minors.
Starmer’s workplace stated on Monday that the federal government would goal “vile and unlawful content material created by AI” and push for authorized powers to behave rapidly on the findings of a public session that can contemplate a social media ban for kids beneath 16 years of age.
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The powers are more likely to scale back parliamentary scrutiny of future curbs.
“Know-how is shifting actually quick, and the regulation has obtained to maintain up,” Starmer stated in a press release.
“We’re performing to guard youngsters’s wellbeing and assist dad and mom to navigate the minefield of social media,” he stated.
The measures would require all AI chatbot suppliers to abide by digital security legal guidelines, together with a ban on creating sexualised pictures with out a topic’s consent. The transfer follows motion in opposition to “non-consensual intimate pictures” created by the Grok chatbot on Elon Musk’s X platform.
Starmer’s workplace went on to clarify its push for broader powers, saying it desires to behave on the findings of the general public session “inside months, fairly than ready years for brand new main laws each time expertise evolves”.
The measures will probably be launched as an modification to current crime and child-protection laws being thought of by parliament.
The session, which begins in March, will contemplate measures like setting a minimal age restrict for social media and a ban on youngsters from utilizing digital personal networks (VPNs) to entry pornography.
It comes as extra international locations worldwide eye restrictions after Australia grew to become the primary nation to ban youngsters beneath 16 from utilizing social media platforms resembling Instagram, Fb, TikTok and YouTube.
Since Australia instituted the ban, social media corporations have revoked entry to about 4.7 million accounts recognized as belonging to youngsters beneath 16.
Underneath the nation’s regulation, social media corporations face fines of as much as 49.5 million Australian {dollars} ($33.2m) in the event that they fail to take affordable steps to take away the accounts of kids youthful than 16 years outdated.
Starmer’s plan for age restrictions has obtained broad help from his Labour Social gathering in addition to the opposition Conservative Social gathering, which can be looking for a social media ban on UK residents beneath 16 years of age.
Whereas geared toward shielding youngsters, such measures usually have knock-on implications for adults’ privateness and talent to entry providers, and have led to stress with america over limits on free speech and regulatory attain.
Web sites resembling image-hosting website Imgur, used to make memes and supply pictures for a lot of basic on-line dialogue boards, blocked entry to all UK customers final 12 months and gave them clean pictures as an alternative, after tighter age-verification guidelines.
Some main pornography web sites have additionally blocked entry for UK customers fairly than confirm their age.
Nonetheless, such geographic restrictions will be circumvented by utilizing available VPNs. The British authorities stated its session on youngster security would come with potential age restrictions for VPNs.
France can be at the moment debating payments for a social media ban for those below 15, together with one championed by President Emmanuel Macron.
The invoice has already been authorized by the Nationwide Meeting and is awaiting approval within the Senate.
