UK's Starmer seeks greater powers to regulate online access for children under 16

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will seek broader powers to regulate internet access, which he said on Sunday was needed to protect children from fast-changing digital risks.

Britain's government said last month it would consult on an Australian-style social media ban for children under 16. Spain, Greece and Slovenia have since said they plan bans.

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

The new powers are likely to lead to reduced parliamentary scrutiny of future curbs. Starmer's office said this was required so that after the review "we can act fast on its findings within months, rather than waiting years for new primary legislation every time technology evolves".

More AI chatbots will also be covered by a ban on creating sexualised images without the subject's consent, after measures against Elon Musk's Grok, the government said.

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

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 US 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 British users last year and gave them blank images instead, after tighter age-verification rules.

Some major pornography websites have also blocked access for British users rather than verify their age, which they said was invasive of privacy and potentially insecure.

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