A ban on social media for under-16s is “on the table” if companies do not take action to protect children, the Technology Secretary has said. Peter Kyle made the warning while preparing to tell Ofcom to be more assertive with tech firms, as both he and the regulator ready themselves for new legal powers in the Online Safety Act to commence from the start of 2025. The Act will see new safety duties placed on social media platforms for the first time, requiring them to protect users, and in particular children, from harmful content.
This will include a crackdown on under-13s having access to age-restricted content. We've published an open letter to online services about how the Online Safety Act will apply to Generative AI and chatbots. This follows a number of recent distressing incidents involving GenAI and chatbots.
Read in full: 🔗 https://t.co/vRP1LozzkM — Ofcom (@Ofcom) November 8, 2024 Speaking to the Telegraph newspaper, Mr Kyle suggested the UK would have to move to “another level of regulation” if tech companies do not get together to enforce the Act. The Technology Secretary said he did not want to pursue further law changes until he sees how the Online Safety Act works.
But he signalled he had been speaking to politicians from Australia where social media restrictions for under-16s have been considered. Asked if the UK could push its age limits up to 16, Mr Kyle told the Telegraph: “When it comes to keeping young people safe, everything is on the table.