No online platform will get a “free pass” when it comes to children’s safety on the internet, Sir Keir Starmer has said, ahead of setting out new plans to prevent harms.
Children could be prevented from using virtual private networks (VPNs) to illicitly access pornography, and limited from speaking with online chatbots under proposals being floated by the Prime Minister to bolster online safety.
The Government also plans to consult on banning children from social media, and restricting infinite scrolling.
Sir Keir will meet parents and young people on Monday to insist that the Government will do all it can to keep children safe online.
The Government is vowing to close legal loopholes which have allowed chatbots to create deepfake nude images, and is planning further curbs on social media.
This follows the war of words between ministers and Elon Musk earlier this year, after his Grok AI chatbot – embedded into the social media site X – was used widely to make fake nude images of women.
Ahead of launching the consultation, the Prime Minister said: “As a dad of two teenagers, I know the challenges and the worries that parents face making sure their kids are safe online.
“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.
“The action we took on Grok sent a clear message that no platform gets a free pass.
“Today we are closing loopholes that put children at risk, and laying the groundwork for further action.
“We are acting to protect children’s wellbeing and help parents to navigate the minefield of social media.”
The consultation into new social media protections will launch in March and be guided by what parents and children say they want to see.
Ministers also plan to introduce powers through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to speedily change the law in reactions to changing online behaviours.
Elsewhere, amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill will be used to ensure chatbots protect users from illegal content.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said: “I know that parents across the country want us to act urgently to keep their children safe online. That’s why I stood up to Grok and Elon Musk when they flouted British laws and British values.
“We will not wait to take the action families need, so we will tighten the rules on AI chatbots and we are laying the ground so we can act at pace on the results of the consultation on young people and social media.
“We are determined to give children the childhood they deserve and to prepare them for the future at time of rapid technological change.”
The Crime and Policing Bill will also be updated to include measures which will preserve children’s social media and online data, as called for by the campaign group Jools’ Law.
The campaign was started by Ellen Roome, when questions about the death of her 14-year-old son Jools could not be answered as records of his digital activity could not be accessed.
Lord Nash, a Conservative former minister who has been campaigning in the Lords for tighter social media controls for children, welcomed the adoption of Jools’ Law by the Government.
He added: “However, we have a moral duty to try and ensure it is never needed in future by avoiding future tragedies.
“There are too many children who are still being catastrophically harmed by social media every day, and this announcement will not prevent that. This consultation is just delay dressed up as process.
“Instead of more deliberation, the Government must raise the age limit to 16 for the most harmful platforms now and has the opportunity to do so when the amendment effecting this – which passed overwhelmingly in the House of Lords – returns to the Commons. For every day we delay, the more children we fail.”
Shadow education secretary Laura Trott said the announcement was “more smoke and mirrors from a Government that has chosen inaction when it comes to stopping under-16s accessing social media”.
She said: “Labour have repeatedly said they do not have a view on whether under-16s should be prevented from accessing social media. That is not good enough. I am clear that we should stop under-16s accessing these platforms.
“The evidence of harm is clear and parents, teachers and children themselves have made their voices heard. Britain is lagging behind while other countries have recognised the risks and begun to act.”
Liberal Democrat education spokeswoman Munira Wilson said: “There is no time to waste, but the Government continues to kick the can down the road. We need a much clearer, firm timeline for when they will take action.
“Parliament deserves a real say and the chance to properly scrutinise the Government’s plans. Instead, the Prime Minister is desperate to buy himself time with his MPs with an approach that will limit oversight now and in the future.”
Andy Burrows, chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, said: “This a welcome down payment but the Prime Minister must now go further.
“Sir Keir Starmer should commit to a new Online Safety Act that strengthens regulation and makes clear that product safety and children’s wellbeing is the cost of doing business in the UK.”
Source: UK Politics - www.independent.co.uk
