Preet Kaur Gill has strongly welcomed the Prime Minister’s announcement of new government powers designed to ensure that Britain’s laws keep pace with rapidly advancing technology. She said that technology is moving faster than ever before, and if the law does not adapt at the same speed, children will continue to remain exposed to serious online dangers. As someone who has previously served as a children’s services manager, Gill stressed that she has personally witnessed the damaging impact harmful online content can have on young people, and she believes the government’s latest steps are both timely and essential.
Under the new measures announced by the Prime Minister, the government will tighten and modernise the Online Safety Act to close existing loopholes that currently allow harmful content to slip through the cracks. The government will also require AI chatbots and AI-driven platforms to follow illegal content rules, a major shift intended to prevent technology companies from avoiding responsibility under the pretext of innovation. Gill emphasised that the government will now consult on creating minimum age limits for social media use, reflecting increasing concerns among parents and educators about early exposure to inappropriate material. She also noted that ministers are actively considering restrictions on harmful features such as infinite scrolling, which has been linked to addictive behavior in children and teenagers. Additionally, the government has committed to taking stronger action against non-consensual intimate images, which represent one of the fastest-growing forms of online abuse today.
Gill made it clear that no digital platform will receive a free pass under the new approach. Whether large multinational companies or smaller social media services, every online platform operating in the UK will be expected to prioritise child safety above profits and convenience. She argued that harmful online environments can seriously affect children’s mental health, emotional wellbeing, and long-term development, and that society cannot afford to delay decisive action. According to her, the government must be able to act within months, not years, because the risks faced by children evolve too quickly for slow policy responses.
Communities across Birmingham—including Edgbaston, North Edgbaston, Harborne, Quinton, and Bartley Green—have increasingly expressed concerns about the dangers young people encounter online. Gill said that parents in these areas want stronger protections, clearer rules, and more accountability from social media companies. She reiterated that the safety of children must come first and that the UK must lead the way in establishing a modern, effective, and enforceable online safety framework.