UK PM Keir Starmer Meets Tech Bosses on Child Online Safety

Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, held a meeting with senior executives from major social media companies including X (disambiguation), Meta Platforms, Snap Inc., ByteDance===TikTok, and Alphabet Inc.===Alphabet Inc. to address concerns about children's online safety. He emphasized that the current situation, where social media puts children at risk, "can't go on like this" and hinted at potential measures to restrict children's access to these platforms. The meeting is part of the government's ongoing consultation on how to protect children online, which could lead to an Australia-style social media ban for under-16s, limits on addictive features, and stronger controls on AI chatbots. While the United Kingdom===House of Lords has twice voted for an age limit, the United Kingdom===House of Commons of the United Kingdom has rejected these bids, preferring to await the consultation's outcome. Technology Minister Liz Kendall has also pressured United Kingdom===Ofcom to enforce the Online Safety Act more rigorously. The government expects to make policy proposals before the summer recess and act by the end of the year.