Government to close illegal content AI loopholes

The Prime Minister has said that “no platform gets a free pass” as he announced new measures to keep children safe online. New powers being introduced will allow the Government to respond to new evolutions in technology quickly.

The Online Safety Act brought in new measures to protect children and young people online, including the need for robust age verification on pornographic sites. However, artificial intelligence chatbots, such as xAI’s Grok, are not currently covered by the scope of the Act. An amendment will be added to the Crime and Policing Bill to close this loophole and ensure that chatbots are required to protect users.

Following the Government’s consultation on children’s wellbeing online, there will be new legal powers introduced to allow immediate action on future online harms. This will give the government the ability to respond in months, rather than waiting years for primary legislation to be approved.

This will allow the government to bring in quickly measures such as a minimum age for social media, or restrictions on ‘infinite scrolling’ which is known to be harmful and addictive. The consultation will also consider the possibility of restricting or limiting the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) by children, which can be used to circumvent age verification in some cases.

Announcing these new measures, the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, 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… 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.”

Technology Secretary, Liz Kendall, added: “I know that parents across the country want us to act urgently to keep their children safe online… 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.”

CEO of the NSPCC, Chris Sherwood, commended the new measures, saying: “Delivered swiftly, these measures would offer far better protection than a blanket ban.” He also articulated their support of including children’s voices, saying that they “understand both the benefits and risks of being online and – after their insights have been overlooked in discussions so far – their experiences must now help guide the decisions made in the months ahead.”

Chief Executive of Molly Rose Foundation, Andy Burrows, also welcomed the news but urged the government to go further. “Sir Keir Starmer should commit to a new Online Safety Act that strengthens regulation and that makes clear that product safety and children’s wellbeing is the cost of doing business in the UK” he said.