The digital world that our children grow up in today is dominated by powerful platforms, addictive algorithms and fast-evolving technology.
Parents across the country want to keep their children safe, ensure they have the childhood they deserve, and help prepare them for adulthood. The UK Government absolutely understands and agrees with that too.
This week, the UK Labour Government has set out a series of immediate steps to do this, in addition to the forthcoming public consultation on children’s online wellbeing.
Our Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill is currently proceeding through its legislative stages in Parliament, so we will use new legal powers to facilitate the quick implementation of measures arising from the consultation.
Through this route, we will be able to act within months, keeping up with evolving technology, rather than waiting years for new primary legislation as happened under the previous Governments between 2017 and 2024 and having to play catch-up with the algorithms.
It will allow for faster action on measures such as setting a minimum age limit for social media, restricting harmful features, and preventing children from being able to send or receive nude images.
Because AI tools are becoming a major part of children’s lives, we will examine whether these proposed restrictions on social media should also extend to children’s access to AI chatbots.
At the same time, we will close a loophole in the Online Safety Act, ensuring that every AI chatbot provider complies with its content duties. We will ensure that the law keeps pace with technological risks and can act swiftly when necessary.
We are also strengthening protections for bereaved families. Coroners will be required to notify Ofcom automatically on the death of any child aged five or over, except where online activity was not relevant. This ensures that data is preserved before it can be deleted. It responds directly to calls from families, several of whom I have met, who have faced the most devastating losses and strengthens existing safeguards.
Coupled with these immediate actions, the UK Labour Government has just launched a consultation to hear what parents and the wider public have to say about the risks posed to children online. The consultation will close on 26 May 2026. This consultation includes proposals on:
- Banning social media for under-16s
- Raising the digital age of consent from 13 – stopping companies from using and profiting from children’s data without their parents’ consent
- Overnight curfews and breaks to prevent excessive use and doom-scrolling
- Stricter enforcement of existing laws around age verification
- Exploring whether school mobile phone guidance should be made statutory
We have also broadened the remit of the consultation to include exploring options of:
- blocking the ability for children to send and receive nude images
- restrictions for children using AI chatbots
- age-restricting or limiting children’s virtual private network (VPN) use
With the consultation now open, I would strongly encourage you to please take part. Hearing directly from parents, carers, and young people is essential to getting this right – ensuring that the UK can continue to be a global leader in children’s online safety.
The consultation can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/growing-up-in-the-online-world-a-national-consultation