This comes after the European Commission investigated Musk's X in January for spreading sexually explicit images of children and other individuals. Starmer led calls for Musk to put a stop to it.
The platforms will be expected to comply with "illegal content duties" or "face the consequences of breaking the law," the announcement said.
After the country's government staunchly criticized Elon Musk's X over sexually explicit content created by its chatbot Grok, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced new measures that mean chatbots such as OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot will be included in his government's Online Safety Act.
The UK government is closing a "loophole" in new online safety legislation that will make AI chatbots subject to its requirement to combat illegal material or face fines or even being blocked.
Earlier, Ofcom, the UK's media watchdog, began an investigation into X reportedly spreading sexually explicit images of children and other individuals.
"The action we took on Grok sent a clear message that no platform gets a free pass," Starmer said, announcing the latest measures. "We are closing loopholes that put children at risk, and laying the groundwork for further action."
Starmer gave a speech on Monday on the new powers, which extend to setting minimum age limits for social media platforms, restricting harmful features such as infinite scrolling, and limiting children's use of AI chatbots and access to VPNs.
One measure announced would force social media companies to retain data after a child's death, unless the online activity is clearly unrelated to the death.
"We are acting to protect children's wellbeing and help parents to navigate the minefield of social media," Starmer said.
Alex Brown, head of TMT at law firm Simmons & Simmons, said the announcement shows how the government is taking a different approach to regulating rapidly developing technology.
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