British Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed Monday to confront major tech companies and address the “addictive nature” of social media, signaling that new restrictions could be implemented within months. Speaking at an event in southwest London, Starmer criticized the slow pace of legislation in keeping up with rapidly evolving technology, emphasizing that the status quo “is not good enough.”
Starmer confirmed the government is prepared to act quickly on a potential ban of social media use for children under 16, pending results from an ongoing consultation. He highlighted the dangers of compulsive consumption, often called doomscrolling, and criticized design features that keep users “glued” to their devices. Starmer stressed the need to break these habits to curb social media addiction and protect users.
The plan also involves giving regulators stronger powers to hold tech companies accountable more effectively. Starmer noted that Britain will move to act within months rather than years. His remarks come as the UK’s data protection authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office, launched a formal investigation into Elon Musk’s X and xAI companies, after the Grok AI tool allegedly produced indecent deepfakes without consent, including sexualized imagery of minors.
