Highlights
- Coroners to notify Ofcom of every child death aged 5-18 so tech firms cannot delete data within five days.
- AI chatbots to be included in Online Safety Act closing loopholes created before ChatGPT's release.
- Government plans new legal powers to act "within months" rather than years after consultation findings.
"Technology is moving really fast, and the law has got to keep up," Keir said, adding he wanted Britain to lead on online safety.
He promised to "crack down on the addictive elements of social media, stop the auto-play, the never-ending scrolling, that keeps our children hooked on their screens for hours."
Key proposals include requiring coroners to notify Ofcom of every child death aged 5-18, ensuring tech companies preserve data within five days if relevant to the cause of death.
The measure follows the Jools' Law campaign by Ellen Roome, whose 14-year-old son Jools died in 2022 while attempting an internet challenge. Under current rules, data must be requested within 12 months but is often deleted before families can access it.
Protecting children online
The government also plans to include AI chatbots within the Online Safety Act, which became law in 2023 before ChatGPT's release, closing significant technological loopholes.
Other measures include preventing children from using virtual private networks to bypass age checks and requiring chatbots to protect users from illegal content.
A public consultation launching in March will seek opinions on restricting children's access to AI chatbots and limiting infinite scrolling features.
Technology secretary Liz Kendall said new legal powers would allow the government to "act fast on its findings within months, rather than waiting years for new primary legislation every time technology evolves."
Opposition demands action
Critics questioned the government's approach. Shadow education secretary Laura Trott described the consultation as "inaction," saying Britain was "lagging behind" and calling for an immediate ban on under-16s accessing harmful platforms.
Liberal Democrat spokeswoman Munira Wilson accused the government of "kicking the can down the road," demanding a "much clearer, firm timeline" for action.
Andy Burrows, chief executive of suicide prevention charity the Molly Rose Foundation, strongly welcomed the ambition but said Keir must go further, calling for a new Online Safety Act making "product safety and children's wellbeing the cost of doing business in the UK."
Roome told BBC "This going forward will help other bereaved families. What we now need to do is stop the harm happening in the first place."
