CAMPAIGNERS today called for more proactive measures from the government to protect women and girls online, saying social media platforms could not be “left to regulate themselves.”

It came amid reports that social media platform X had imposed new restrictions on its AI chatbot Grok following the widespread production of sexualised images of women and children.

On Wednesday night, the site owned by billionaire Elon Musk said it would prevent Grok from “editing images of people in revealing clothes” and block users from generating similar images of real people in countries where it is illegal.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the platform must act to comply with all British laws “immediately,” and that he was “glad” the company had acted on the “absolutely disgusting” images.

Regulator Ofcom also welcomed the new restrictions but said its investigation, launched on Monday, will continue as it seeks “answers into what went wrong and what’s being done to fix it.”

End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW) director Andrea Simon said that the changes “can’t stop here,” and that the “cost of inaction is too great, with countless women and girls harmed” before action was taken.

She said that it “remains to be seen” how X will implement the ban, saying: “This win shows how victims of abuse, campaigners and a show of strength from governments can force tech platforms to take action.

“Given the evolving nature of AI-generated harms, tech platforms must be required to take proactive preventative action.”

Ms Simon called for Ofcom’s violence against women and girls guidance for tech platforms to be made a mandatory code of practice “so that platforms aren’t left to regulate themselves.”

“We expect the government to do more to ensure tech platforms can’t profit from online abuse,” she said.