Starmer plans swift smartphone restrictions for youth

Keir Starmer is vowing to enforce a crackdown on children and teenagers using smartphones within months to help keep them safe online.

- Kate Devlin, The Independent

Reforms could include a minimum age limit for social media and restrictions on so-called “infinite” scrolling. Children could also be prevented from using virtual private networks (VPNs) to access banned websites, and from speaking with online chatbots under proposals in a government consultation.

Ministers are taking steps now to bring in powers that mean they can act swiftly and respond to its results within months.

Before that, they will act now to close a legal loophole and force all Al chatbot providers to abide by the Online Safety Act or face the consequences of breaking the law.

It follows a war of words between ministers and Elon Musk after his Grok Al chatbot was used widely to make fake nude images of women.

The PM pledged that no online platform would get a “free pass” when it comes to children’s safety on the internet.