Government announces sweeping safety measures for social media

The UK government has unveiled a high‑profile package of measures aimed at tightening regulation of social‑media firms, AI services, and children’s access to online platforms. The announcement was framed by Number 10 as a “crackdown” on harmful digital environments, with Starmer saying the government’s action over Grok, an AI tool previously hosted on Elon Musk’s X platform, showed that “no platform gets a free pass.”

The policy initiative responds to public pressure from concerns about online harms and specific campaigning efforts. Notably, the Jools’ Law campaign, started by Ellen Roome after her 14‑year‑old son’s death in 2022, has pushed for tech firms to preserve deceased children’s social‑media data so that bereaved families can get answers – a change ministers now plan to enshrine in law.

The government has outlined several major strands of reform:

• Fast‑track powers: Ministers intend to use provisions in the forthcoming Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to accelerate legal updates so that changes can take effect more swiftly, rather than waiting for lengthy primary legislation. This could allow the executive to act “within months” on consultation outcomes, including age restrictions on platforms.

• Age limits and features: A public consultation launching in March 2026 will explore whether to impose a minimum age for social‑media access (taking cues from Australia’s recent 16‑year‑old rule) and curbs on addictive design features such as infinite scrolling. Ministers have also flagged possible new age‑related controls over virtual private network (VPN) use by minors.

• AI chatbot regulation: The government will close a loophole in the current Online Safety Act 2023 so that AI chatbots fall fully under duties to prevent illegal content, responding in part to complaints that tools like Grok were used to generate inappropriate images.

• Data preservation: Amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill are set to ensure that in certain child‑death investigations, social‑media data must be preserved promptly, addressing situations where such evidence was previously deleted before authorities could access it.

The proposals have sparked debate both within government and among external commentators. Ministers are reportedly split over the idea of a full social‑media ban for under‑16s, with opponents arguing that broad restrictions could be overly heavy‑handed or ineffective without robust enforcement.

There are also warnings about how some measures (such as VPN and age verification controls) may intersect with privacy issues and international tensions, particularly with tech sectors in the United States.

While many advocacy organisations welcome stronger protections, some caution that severe age bans risk pushing young users toward less regulated corners of the internet rather than addressing root harms. Independent charities have called for broader regulation of tech firms’ responsibilities and product design.

Left‑leaning outlets generally cast the government’s plans in a positive light, emphasising the campaigning victories over tech companies (e.g., Grok restrictions) as signs of effective action.

Right‑leaning sources, by contrast, tend to portray the policy as an expansion of state power, with headlines warning of “major new internet restrictions” and framing actions as overreach.