Downing Street and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 15 February 2026 announced a package to strengthen child online safety. The Government signalled plans to extend illegal‑content duties to AI chatbots and to take enabling powers in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill so measures arising from a new consultation can be implemented rapidly, subject to an affirmative vote in the Commons. The consultation, due next month, will examine a statutory minimum age for social media, limits on high‑risk features such as infinite scrolling, options to restrict children’s access to chatbots and VPNs where these undermine safety protections, and whether to change the UK’s digital age of consent. (gov.uk)
Ministers also intend to close a regulatory gap so that chatbot providers not currently captured by the Online Safety Act must prevent illegal content and comply with Ofcom enforcement. Ofcom has acknowledged that not all chatbot activity is presently in scope, and national reporting indicates the change would explicitly bring mainstream systems such as Grok, Gemini and ChatGPT within the regime. (theguardian.com)
Regulatory pressure has intensified after Ofcom opened a formal investigation into X on 12 January 2026 over the use of Grok to generate sexualised images of women and children. X subsequently said it had implemented measures to prevent the Grok account from creating intimate images, while Ofcom’s inquiry continues. (ofcom.org.uk)
The Government’s route for swift implementation is through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, using secondary legislation subject to the affirmative procedure once the consultation concludes. This approach is intended to avoid waiting years for fresh primary legislation where evidence supports targeted action. (gov.uk)
According to the announcement, the forthcoming consultation will consider setting a minimum age for social media use and curbing specific product features linked to harm, such as infinite scrolling. It will also explore how platforms can prevent the creation, sending or receipt of nude images of children at source; distribution of such images is already illegal. (gov.uk)
Further areas flagged for consultation include restricting children’s use of AI chatbots, considering age‑related limits on VPN use where it circumvents safety controls, and testing whether the UK’s ‘digital age of consent’ should be changed. The current threshold is 13 under the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR. (ico.org.uk)
Parallel Home Office work on the Crime and Policing Bill includes new offences to address AI models optimised to generate child sexual abuse material and updates to detection powers at the border, signalling a broader legislative push alongside online safety duties. (gov.uk)
On bereaved families’ access to evidence, ministers intend to amend the Crime and Policing Bill so that relevant social media data following a child’s death is preserved before it can be deleted, except where online activity is clearly irrelevant. Related amendments debated in the House of Lords would automate preservation and clarify protocols for coroners and police. (hansard.parliament.uk)
Under the Online Safety Act, Ofcom can impose fines up to £18 million or 10% of a provider’s qualifying worldwide revenue and seek service‑restriction orders through the courts. Those powers would apply to chatbot providers once brought into scope by legislation or regulation. (legislation.gov.uk)
For providers of general‑purpose chatbots, the likely operational impact is material. Once in scope, services would be expected to assess illegal‑content risks, implement technical mitigations across text and image generation, and evidence effectiveness to Ofcom-mirroring the illegal‑harms codes now set for user‑to‑user and search services. (computerweekly.com)
Immediate support for families accompanies the policy package. On 10 February 2026, DSIT launched the ‘You Won’t Know until You Ask’ campaign, offering safety‑setting guides and conversation prompts for parents, underpinned by new research published by the department. (gov.uk)
Next steps include publication of the consultation in March and the tabling of amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill. Any new duties will follow parliamentary approval, with ministers stating they intend to act within months once the consultation’s evidence is assessed. (gov.uk)