Sun, 13 Jul 2025

Sun, 13 Jul 2025 More rules being considered to keep children safe online

Cabinet minister Heidi Alexander says age checks will not mark the "end of the conversation".
The government is taking further action to protect children online, with Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander stating that new age-verification rules will have a significant impact on keeping kids safe. The regulations, overseen by Ofcom, will require internet companies to implement stricter age verification methods and change their algorithms to filter out harmful content. Ofcom's Melanie Dawes vowed to rigorously enforce the new requirements, but acknowledged that additional legal powers may be needed to keep pace with rapidly developing AI technology. Labour has committed to building on the previous government's law, but it is yet to publish fresh legislation of its own. Ian Russell, whose daughter Molly took her life at 14 after seeing online harm, described the new rules as a "biggest moment in online safety" since social media arrived. However, he expressed concerns that Ofcom may not go far enough within its existing powers and should be prepared to push back against ministers over weaknesses in the legislation. Alexander stated that the government will not wait for results before taking further action, with Technology Secretary Peter Kyle considering measures such as a two-hour cap on social media app use and a 22:00 curfew. The education secretary is also reviewing guidance on banning smartphones in schools, although the government has so far stopped short of legislating for a nationwide ban. Ofcom's chief executive promised to enforce the new rules, with flexibility given to websites when deciding which age-verification tools to use. However, she acknowledged that some newer forms of AI may not be covered by existing legislation and may require changes to the law.
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