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

"Zoe Kleinman,Technology editorand Getty Images 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."

"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," he said."

"There are also plans to change rules on how children's social media data is stored under the Crime and Policing Bill, after the Jools' Law campaign. In 2022, Ellen Roome's son Jools died aged 14. She believes he was trying an internet challenge which went wrong, but has never been able to access his data to prove it. Under current rules, a child's data must be requested from tech companies within 12 months of their death by either a coroner or the police."

The government will launch a public consultation in March on restricting children's access to AI chatbots and limiting infinite scrolling features for children. Plans include powers to change the law quickly in response to emerging online behaviours and to require chatbots to protect users from illegal content. The government proposes preventing children from using VPNs to access pornography and updating data-retention rules so bereaved families can access children's social media data, following the Jools' Law campaign. Opponents have accused the government of inaction and called for Parliament to vote on a proposed social media ban for children.

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