UK eyes rapid ban on social media for under 16s, curbs to AI chatbots

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17 February 2026

LONDON, Feb 16 (Reuters) – Britain could bring in an Australian-style ban on social media for children under 16 as early as this year and close a loophole that left some AI chatbots outside safety rules, as part of government efforts to respond more quickly to digital risks.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government last month launched a consultation on a social media ban for children under 16 and is now working to change legislation so it could bring in any changes within months of the consultation concluding.

Spain, Greece and Slovenia have also said they are working on bans after Australia became the first country in the world to block access to under 16s. Scrutiny has since intensified further after Elon Musk’s flagship AI chatbot Grok was found to be generating nonconsensual sexualised images.
GLOBAL PRESSURE GROWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

Britain’s 2023 Online Safety Act is one of the world’s strictest safety regimes, but it does not cover one-to-one interactions with AI chatbots unless they share information with other users, a loophole technology minister Liz Kendall said would soon be closed.
Britain cannot allow regulatory gaps to persist after the act took nearly eight years to pass and come into force, she said.