Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said ministers want to ‘get the legislation right’.
Budget-style online safety debates could help Parliament keep up with AI and social media developments, the Technology Secretary has said.
Liz Kendall warned technology “is developing much, much more quickly” than the law is.
Both she and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer are “really concerned” about the impact of AI chatbots on children, Ms Kendall said.
Sir Keir has promised that “Britain will be a leader not a follower when it comes to online safety”.
The Government has plans to consult on minimum age limits for social media and restricting children’s access to virtual private networks (VPNs), which could be used to defy age verification rules on pornography websites.
Ms Kendall told BBC Breakfast: “We will definitely come forward with our proposals before the summer.
“We want to get the legislation right, whatever we decide to do in the end.”
Ms Kendall added the Government must “move swiftly”.
She warned that the time it took to pass the Online Safety Act 2023 – which brought in new duties for social media and search firms to identify and prevent the spread of illegal content – was “really frustrating”.
The minister said: “The thing is, the technology is developing much, much more quickly, so I think we’ve got to look at ways to update the law much more quickly.”
Ms Kendall pointed to the Finance Bill process, which takes place after a budget to write the Chancellor’s tax plans into law.
“We’re going to have to start thinking in the same way around online safety so we constantly keep pace, so that we protect children, give them their childhood back, as well as preparing them for the future,” she said.
As part of efforts to bolster online safety, the Government has planned to extend the Online Safety Act duties to cover one-to-one conversations with AI chatbots.
“We already know that children have received content around self-harm and suicide, and we’ve taken action on that immediately,” Ms Kendall told Times Radio.
“And I am concerned about these AI chatbots.
“Some are already covered by the Act if they have user-to-user sharing or live search.
“But when it’s just that one-on-one with AI chatbots, I’m really concerned, as is the Prime Minister, about the impact that is having on children and young people.
“And I would say, we’re taking steps so that any illegal content shared by AI chatbots, for anyone – adults too – will be stopped.”
On the Government’s plans, Sir Keir said: “As a dad of two teenagers, I know the challenges and the worries that parents face making sure their kids are safe online.
“Technology is moving really fast, and the law has got to keep up. With my Government, Britain will be a leader not a follower when it comes to online safety.”
