Starmer Declares War on Addictive Social Media Features
UK PM Keir Starmer unveils a 5-point online safety plan targeting addictive social media, doomscrolling, and child data protection reforms.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has promised to "end social media addiction" under the government's new online safety plan.
These proposals will include addressing shortcomings in existing laws designed to protect children online, as well as consulting on potential social media bans for children under 16.
The government also plans to rapidly change the law in response to changes in online behavior and update legislation to protect children's social media and online data – as campaigned by the Jules Law Group.
Opponents have accused the government of "inaction" and demanded a parliamentary vote on social media bans for children.
The government previously stated that it would launch a public consultation in March, seeking opinions on preventing children from accessing AI chatbots and limiting infinite scrolling features – also known as doomscrolling – for children.
This follows a debate between ministers and X's Elon Musk earlier this year, after the platform's Groq AI chatbot was used to create fake nude photos of women.
Before launching the consultation, Sir Keir said: "The action we took on Groq sends a clear message that no platform gets a free pass."
He added, "Technology is advancing rapidly, and the law must keep pace. With my government, Britain will be a leader, not a follower, when it comes to online safety."
Other measures being considered include preventing children from using virtual private networks (VPNs) to access pornography illegally and changing the law to allow chatbots to protect users from illegal content.
In an article on the website Substack, Sir Keir said that, as the parent of two teenagers, he knows that children's access to social media is "the most important thing for many parents right now".
He said: "Over the last 20+ years, social media has transformed from the simple, plain pages of the past.
"And in this transformation, it has become something that is quietly harming our children."
The Prime Minister further stated that the government "will introduce new powers that will give us the ability to restrict addictive elements of social media, stop auto-play and the endless scrolling that keeps children glued to their screens for hours, and prevent children from breaking age limits."
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"And if that means fighting big social media companies, do it," he said.
Following the Jules' Law campaign, there are also plans to change the rules on how children's social media data is stored under the Crime and Policing Bill.
In 2022, Ellen Roome's son, Jules, died at the age of 14. She believes he was trying an internet challenge that went wrong, but she is determined to prove she never lost access to his data. found.
Under current rules, the coroner or police must request that tech companies delete a child's data within 12 months of their death.
But grieving parents often say that by the time this happens, this record of their child's online activities has already been deleted.
The new rules will mean that if it can be linked to the cause of death, it must be preserved within five days, which will hopefully provide more families with some answers.
Room said, "This will help other grieving families in the future." "What we need to do now is prevent the loss from happening. It's very important when a child dies, but we must prevent them from dying in the first place."
Lord Nash, a former Conservative Party minister who has campaigned in the Lords for stricter controls on social media for children, welcomed the government's adoption of Jules' Law.
However, he said that to avoid "tragic events in the future," the government should now raise the age limit for the most harmful platforms to 16.
Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott described the consultation announcement as "inaction," saying Britain has "fallen behind." She said, "I am clear that we must prevent children under 16 from accessing these platforms."
Liberal Democrat spokesperson Munira Wilson also accused the government of "delaying the crisis" and demanded a "very clear, firm timeline" on when action will be taken.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said the government is "committed to protecting children. It is determined to give children the childhood they deserve and prepare them for the future in a time of rapid technological change" and "will not wait" to meet the needs of families.
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