Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has set out plans to tighten online safety rules, including a March public consultation on whether to prohibit under‑16s from using mainstream social media. The initiative is framed around limiting addictive design features and closing legal gaps that, ministers argue, allow children to be drawn into harmful content.
The consultation, signalled by No.10 and reported by the BBC, will seek views on curbing auto‑play and so‑called infinite scroll for children, and on restricting minors’ access to AI chatbots. Officials indicate evidence from families, schools, clinicians and the tech sector will inform options ranging from duty‑of‑care clarifications to targeted feature bans.
Alongside the consultation, the government is preparing enabling powers to update rules rapidly as online behaviours evolve. Options under consideration include tightening age assurance to prevent circumvention via virtual private networks when accessing pornography, and creating a clear duty on conversational AI systems to protect users from illegal content.
Ministers also plan to adopt Jools' Law through the Crime and Policing Bill, changing how a deceased child’s social media and online data are preserved. Campaigners say current practice-where police or a coroner must seek data within 12 months-can result in records being deleted before inquests establish what happened.
Under the proposed change, platforms would be required to preserve potentially relevant data within five days of notification where it may relate to cause of death, providing bereaved families and coroners with a more reliable evidential baseline. The reform follows the case of 14‑year‑old Jools, whose mother, Ellen Roome, has pressed for earlier and automatic preservation.
Starmer has argued that the law must keep pace with technology and that no platform is exempt from scrutiny, citing action taken after X’s Grok chatbot generated faked sexual imagery of women earlier in the year. That episode has intensified ministerial focus on AI governance and child access to generative systems.
Political pressure is building from multiple sides. Conservative peer Lord Nash welcomed the move on data preservation but urged ministers to impose a statutory 16‑plus age limit for the most harmful platforms without delay. Shadow education secretary Laura Trott described the consultation approach as insufficient and warned the UK risks falling behind. Liberal Democrat MP Munira Wilson called for a firmer timetable and a Commons vote on any age‑limit proposal.
Policy Wire analysis: Implementation will hinge on enforceable age assurance. The Online Safety Act 2023 already places duties on platforms and empowers Ofcom to set codes of practice; the new package appears to extend this by targeting specific features-auto‑play, infinite scroll and chatbots-and by tightening rules where children bypass age gates. The practical question is how far government expects device makers, app stores and ISPs to support verification and limit VPN workarounds.
For platforms, the direction of travel points to product changes for UK child users, enhanced risk assessments, and clearer escalation paths when illegal content surfaces in AI systems. Schools and local authorities should expect updated guidance on digital resilience and potential restrictions affecting pupil access to social apps and chatbots on school devices.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said the priority is to give children the childhood they deserve and to act at pace. The consultation due in March will set out detailed options; ministers indicate they will move quickly to legislate where consensus exists, while reserving powers to update rules as new harms emerge.