'No platform gets a free pass': UK government's Online Safety Act rules extending to chatbots after Grok fallout

At the end of last month, the EU announced an investigation into Grok and X over whether it made citizens 'collateral damage' for its services. Now, weeks later, the UK government has announced a crackdown on AI chatbots, age restrictions, and infinite scroll content, which "will close loopholes that put children at risk, and lays the groundwork for further, faster action."

This new set of actions is split up into a few major sections. The first is regarding AI deepfakes. The latest press release says, "The new measures announced today include [a] crackdown on vile illegal content created by AI. The government will move fast to shut a legal loophole and force all AI chatbot providers to abide by illegal content duties in the Online Safety Act or face the consequences of breaking the law. This will ensure the Act keeps up with rapidly evolving harms."

Part of this statement is a promise to examine age restrictions when it comes to AI use, as well as restrictions or limits on children's ability to access VPNs. Today's statement also asserts it will "strengthen protections for families facing the most devastating circumstances, by ensuring that vital data following a child’s death is preserved before it can be deleted, except in cases where online activity is clearly not relevant to the death."

"This government will act at pace to keep kids safe online as they navigate a digital world that did not exist a generation ago, and one that is shaped by powerful platforms, addictive design and fast-moving technologies."

As part of this new action, the UK government says it will grant new powers under the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill that will "enable the government to act at speed to introduce targeted actions". It will also introduce an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill that will "give effect to the measures around preservation of child social media data."

After the EU declared TikTok's infinite scroll "addictive design in breach of the Digital Services Act," the UK government has also promised to follow suit, calling it "harmful."

Finally, the Department of Science has announced the "You Won't Know until You Ask" campaign, which "offers practical guidance on safety settings, conversation prompts parents can use with their children, and age‑appropriate advice on dealing with harmful content, including misogynistic material and ragebait."

The government is set to consult with parents and children before bringing the acts to the House of Commons, where MPs can have a say on proposals.

Chris Sherwood, the CEO of children's charity NSPCC, says “This [is] a welcome downpayment but the Prime Minister must now go further. Sir Keir Starmer should commit to a new Online Safety Act that strengthens regulation and that makes clear that product safety and children’s wellbeing is the cost of doing business in the UK.”

These conversations and actions aren't only happening in the UK. Australia recently banned the use of social media by teens and is currently targeting Roblox, due to "ongoing concerns about online child grooming". Discord has recently started to roll out worldwide age verification for access to age-restricted servers. Not only as AI develops but as social media does, children and teenagers will likely stay a focal point of legislation.