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Sir Keir Starmer has warned Elon Musk and other technology executives that “no platform gets a free pass” on illegal content in Britain, as the Prime Minister moves to tighten online security laws following a deepfake scandal involving XAI’s Grok chatbot.
The government said it would seek powers to “move expeditiously” to close legal loopholes so that AI chatbots – such as Grok, Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT – can be clearly brought under the ambit of the Online Safety Act, along with social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
Citing Musk’s AI company
An amendment to the Crime and Police Bill will require the government to require companies operating chatbots to protect their users from illegal content.
Britain already has powerful financial enforcement tools in global online regulation after becoming one of the first democracies to impose strict content controls on tech companies in 2023.
Under the Online Safety Act, Ofcom can fine companies up to £18 million or 10 per cent of their global annual turnover, whichever is greater.
Speaking to parents and young people on Monday, Starmer will say that “technology is moving really fast, and the law has to keep up with it”.
Ministers are also seeking new powers through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill which would allow the Government to take action “within months” on the findings of a public consultation regarding the issue of banning social media for young people.
A government official said ministers aimed to be able to “impose new protections for children on all chatbots” subject to the outcome of the consultation.
The UK’s planned tough stance against Big Tech comes as the ban on under-16s on social media has emerged as a hot political issue following a historic ban in Australia.
France is close to passing a law, while Spain, Greece, the Netherlands and Denmark have said they will take action to keep young people off social media platforms.
The UK government launched its own consultation in January, asking whether young people under 16 should be banned from social media, after a number of figures including Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham urged Starmer to intervene.
But the debate intensified when the House of Lords last month backed an amendment that would require social media platforms to block people under the age of 16 within a year, revealing cross-party appetite for tougher action against Big Tech.
While ministers insist no decisions have been made, the consultation – which is due to end in April – has firmly left the possibility of a ban intact.
Shadow education secretary Laura Trott said: “Labour has repeatedly said it has no view on whether under-16s should be prevented from accessing social media. That’s not good enough.
“I am clear that we must stop children under 16 from accessing these platforms. The evidence of the harm is clear and parents, teachers and children themselves have spoken out. The UK is lagging behind while other countries have recognized the risks and started taking action.”
The government also said it would examine options to limit children’s use of virtual private networks, which hide the location and identity of Internet users.
Although no restrictions have been proposed yet, intervention could mean introducing age checks to VPN services or extending compliance duties to providers whose tools are used to circumvent security measures.
