Worried about the erosion of free speech online? Keir Starmer's Labour Government has tough new plans to restrict the free and open internet in the UK, including a social media ban for under-16s, new rules for chatbots like ChatGPT and Grok, and a nationwide block for all VPN services.
Technology moves fast and the No10 is trying to match the speed of innovation with a flurry of new rules and regulations. GB News' Tom Harwood has a comprehensive breakdown of everything being discussed in No10 to police speech, social media, and VPNs online in the UK.
The Good Afternoon Britain presenter asks: "Is the era of the free and open internet coming to a crashing halt in the United Kingdom? Are we about to see the most significant expansion of the nanny state this century? Who sets the rules for our children: their parents – or Sir Keir Starmer?"
In the deeply-researched 7-minute video explanation about changes coming to the UK, Tom Hardwood says: "On Monday, the Prime Minister stood up and declared that 'no platform gets a free pass'. We're talking about a massive crackdown on AI chatbots, a consultation on banning social media for the under-16s entirely, and even state restrictions on what the Government calls infinite scrolling.
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"Well, the Department for Science and Technology says they're closing loopholes that put our children at risk. The critics? They say this is the ultimate mission creep for online censorship.
"We've been looking at the truth behind the so-called online safety crackdown, why Elon Musk's Grok chatbot is in the crosshairs, why your VPN might be next on the list, and whether a smartphone ban is actually enforceable or just another piece of political theatre."
The GB News star shared his opinion on Labour's 'nanny state' internet crackdown
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It comes as ExpressVPN, Surfshark, NordVPN, and Windscribe – four of the biggest VPN brands operating in the UK today — publicly confirmed that they're willing to engage with the UK Government on its upcoming three-month consultation on child safety online.
GB News' Tom Harwood describes the potential of a VPN ban as "the big one" as the UK Government looks into the possibility of age restrictions or limiting VPN use more broadly.
"But let's be real for a second – how do you limit VPN use? A VPN is a basic tool of privacy for many people. If the Government starts telling you which software you can install on your private device to protect your own data, have we crossed a massive red line in the sand?," he states.
"And how can journalists or political dissidents even protect their privacy via VPNs if they have to, by law, provide their age and therefore provide their identity to use that very software that's supposed to protect their identity? It's a can of worms. And as for the social media ban, how do you even enforce it? Do you want a country where every social media user has to upload their passport to Mark Zuckerberg just to see a meme?
"It's a logistical nightmare that sounds great in a press release, but looks like a total privacy disaster even for adults in practice. Well, a question that often crops up here on air at GB News is, where does the parents' job end and the Government's job begin?"
The consultation with No10 will look at social media use and what ministers are calling "excessive doomscrolling," but VPNs are firmly on the agenda too.
Number 10 will launch a three-month consultation on children's safety online | GETTY IMAGES Tom Harwood explains: "Now, remember, this Act of Parliament was already one of the most complex and far-reaching pieces of legislation in British history. But the Government says it's already out of date.
"Why? All because of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Yes, the Government now wants a crackdown on "vile" AI-generated content. We're talking about deepfake imagery and images generating a likeness of someone without that person's consent.
"Now the Government is moving to force AI chatbot providers the likes of ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Elon Musk's Grok to follow by the same content restrictions as are applied to Facebook or TikTok.
"Well, Starmer claims that technology is moving fast and the law has got to keep up.
"He's emphasising his personal positions as a dad of two teenagers, talking about the minefield of social media that parents deal with every single day. But is Keir Starmer the right man to decide what's allowed for your children as well as his?
LABOUR'S 'NANNY STATE' CRACKDOWN:
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall
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"And are we on the precipice of more severe governmental creep over the wider internet, with Ministers effectively saying we want more power to regulate? Well, let's talk about the elephant in the room. Of course, the Grok chatbot. A few months ago, the Government called out X over its AI chatbot Grok, after it was used to generate some pretty abhorrent images.
"The function was eventually removed, and let's remember that people were effectively jailbreaking the chatbot in order to produce those images, but the Government declared that this must stop. They realised that while they were regulating posts, the tech sector was moving into generative AI, which is not a forum or a message board, but a private user experience, a different category altogether.
"So this new move looks to close what the Government might call an AI loophole. But what others might say is not anything to do with social media at all."
He concludes: "The Technology Secretary, Liz Kendall, says that she's doing this to help parents navigate that minefield. But shouldn't it be the parents deciding if their 15-year-old, for instance, is mature enough for an Instagram account?
"By moving towards a blanket ban and safety by design that neuters the internet, are we just infantilising a whole generation and preventing them from building up the skills needed to navigate a complex online world?
"Well, even the NSPCC, usually one of the first to call for more regulation, is warning that a blanket ban might not be the answer. They're worried it pushes her tech-savvy children into darker, less regulated corners of the internet, where no Ofcom organisation has any reach at all.
"After all, children are often one step ahead of our technophobic politicians.
"So what happens next? The consultation launches next month. We're told a decision will be made by the summer. But make no mistake, 2026 is proving to be the year that the British Government decided to take the world-leading crown for internet regulation - whether that leads to a safer childhood or a more censored Britain is the question that our status as a global technology hub could depend on.
"Tens of billions of pounds in investment could be at stake, and the ability of our children to learn how to access the internet safely as they grow up. But what do you think? Is it time to ban social media for under-16s? Or should the Government stay out of our smartphones?"
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