United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a crackdown on artificial intelligence chatbots that endanger children and pledged to seek broader powers to regulate internet access for minors.

Starmer’s office said on Monday that the government would target “vile and illegal content created by AI” and push for legal powers to act quickly on the findings of a public consultation that will consider a social media ban for children below 16 years of age.

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The powers are likely to reduce parliamentary scrutiny of future curbs.

“Technology is moving really fast, and the law has got to keep up,” Starmer said in a statement.

“We are acting to protect children’s wellbeing and help parents to navigate the minefield of social media,” he said.

The measures will require all AI chatbot providers to abide by digital safety laws, including a ban on creating sexualised images without a subject’s consent. The move follows action against “non-consensual intimate images” created by the Grok chatbot on Elon Musk’s X platform.

Starmer’s office went on to explain its push for broader powers, saying it wants to act on the findings of the public consultation “within months, rather than waiting years for new primary legislation every time technology evolves”.

The measures will be introduced as an amendment to ⁠existing crime and child-protection legislation being considered by ⁠parliament.

The consultation, which begins in March, will consider measures like setting a minimum age limit for social media and a ban on children from using virtual private networks (VPNs) to access pornography.

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It comes as more countries worldwide eye restrictions after Australia became the first nation to prohibit children below 16 from using social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube.

Since Australia instituted the ban, social media companies have revoked access to about 4.7 million accounts identified as belonging to children below 16.

Under the country’s law, social media companies face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars ($33.2m) if they fail to take reasonable steps to remove the accounts of children younger than 16 years old.

Starmer’s plan for age restrictions has received broad support from his Labour Party as well as the opposition Conservative Party, which is also seeking a social media ban on UK citizens below 16 years of age.

While aimed at shielding children, such measures often have knock-on implications for adults’ privacy and ability to access services, and have led to tension with the United States over limits on free speech and regulatory reach.

Websites such as image-hosting site Imgur, used to make memes and provide images for many general online discussion forums, blocked access to all UK users last year and gave them blank images instead, after tighter age-verification rules.

Some major pornography websites have also blocked access for UK users rather than verify their age.

However, such geographic restrictions can be circumvented by using readily available VPNs. The British government said its consultation on child safety would include potential age restrictions for VPNs.

France is also currently debating bills for a social media ban for those below 15, including one championed by President Emmanuel Macron.

The bill has already been approved by the National Assembly and is awaiting approval in the Senate.