Government consultation on children’s online safety to look at AI chatbots

The consultation on improving the safety and wellbeing of children online will include looking into the dangers posed by AI chatbots, the Government has said.

The initiative, which is to launch next week, will seek advice from experts, parents, young people, teachers, and industry representatives on which measures should be implemented to improve online safety for children, a spokesperson for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) said on Saturday.

Risks posed by the increasing use of AI tools by children are expected to come into focus – including the “emotionally dependent relationships” young people may form with AI chatbots.

“As conversational AI systems have become more and more life-like, increasing numbers of young people are using chatbots as companions,” a spokesperson for the DSIT said.

“Emerging research has warned that vulnerable young people could be at risk of becoming entangled in emotionally dependent relationships with some chatbots.

“In particular, they may disclose intimate thoughts, and attribute qualities like empathy and care to AI systems,” the DSIT added.

“The effects of this are not fully known, which is why the consultation will invite views on whether some features, like the realism of AI and how it can mimic human relationships, may pose risks to children.”

The consultation will also consider other online tools and their potential risks to children – including direct messaging, stranger-pairing tools, and live streaming.

Ofcom research found that 57% of UK children aged three to 17 have used livestreaming apps or sites, with this increasing to around 80% for children aged 13 to 15.

The DSIT added the Government aims to “act quickly on the results of the consultation” so that measures could take effect “within months, not years”.

“Children’s lives online aren’t just affected by what they see on social media, they spend time across a whole range of online spaces, each carrying its own risks,” Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said.

“That’s why we’re launching the most ambitious consultation of its kind, looking at a sweep of measures to make every part of children’s online lives safer.

“We are determined to give young people the childhood they deserve and to prepare them for the future in an age of rapid technological change.”

Mandatory overnight curfews to help children sleep better may also be considered, as well as what age such curfews should apply to, the DSIT said.

Under the Online Safety Act 2023, which came into force in 2025, social media companies are already required to enforce their age limits consistently and protect child users.

Andy Burrows, chief executive of Molly Rose Foundation, called the consultation “a crucial opportunity to decisively strengthen online safety laws and stand up for children and families.”

“Parents are rightly demanding action, and they need the Prime Minister to get this right,” he added.

“That means following the evidence rather than implementing simplistic solutions that would quickly unravel and create a false sense of safety.

“This must be a downpayment on making children’s safety and wellbeing the non-negotiable cost of doing business in the UK.

“It’s time to make product safety failings a thing of the past with a new Online Safety Act included in the King’s Speech, giving parents and children the confidence that meaningful change is on the way.”

The Molly Rose Foundation was set up in 2018 by bereaved father Ian Russell after his 14-year-old daughter Molly took her own life, having viewed harmful content on social media.

Speaking on Saturday, shadow science secretary Julia Lopez called for a complete social media ban for children under 16 years of age.

“This consultation is a device to get the Prime Minister out of another of his tight fixes – a brewing rebellion of Labour MPs who want to vote for our Conservative plan to stop children from accessing harmful social media,” she said.

“It is a plan with cross-party support, and the backing of parents, children and schools from across the country.

“Rather than grasp the nettle, and show firm and decisive leadership, Keir Starmer’s instinct is always to kick an issue into the long grass.

“The Conservatives remain clear in our position – childhood needs protecting. We would ban social media for under-16s and get phones out of schools now.”