UK Seeks Broader Powers to Regulate Online Access, Rein in AI Chatbots

• British PM Keir Starmer seeks broader powers to regulate internet access to protect children from digital risks.
• Government plans to consult on an Australian-style social media ban for children under 16, with Spain, Greece, and Slovenia also planning bans.
• New powers aim to allow faster action on technological changes, reducing parliamentary scrutiny for future curbs.
• More AI chatbots will be covered by a ban on creating sexualized images without consent, following measures against Elon Musk's Grok.
• Measures, while shielding children, raise concerns about adult privacy, service access, and free speech, leading to past tensions with the US.