The UK government announced plans to close a loophole in its Online Safety Act, bringing AI chatbots under the same legal requirements as social media platforms to block illegal content. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said platforms including OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot must comply with “illegal content duties” or face fines and potential blocking.
The move follows scrutiny of Elon Musk’s X and its Grok chatbot over sexually explicit content. UK media regulator Ofcom and the European Commission have investigated similar issues. Starmer said the new measures aim to protect children and prevent unsafe content, while also enabling restrictions on harmful features, such as infinite scrolling, and setting minimum age limits for AI and social media use.
Legal experts noted the approach represents a shift from regulating user behavior to regulating the technology itself. Lex Brown of Simmons & Simmons said the update addresses risks “arising from the design and behaviour of technologies themselves, not just user-generated content.” The announcement coincides with broader international efforts, including Australia and Spain, to limit social media access for under-16s. The next legislative steps require approval by both the House of Lords and the House of Commons before becoming law.
