Elon Musk’s social media platform X is facing a potential ban in the UK as Ofcom launches a formal investigation over whether it has failed to comply with UK law.
The move follows calls from ministers urging Ofcom to use its “full legal powers” over unlawful AI images generated on the site.
The service has faced criticism in recent weeks after declining to fully remove the ability for users to sexually manipulate images of women and children using its built-in AI tool, Grok. X has instead limited the use of this image function to those who pay a monthly fee.
Tech secretary Liz Kendall has reacted furiously to the X’s handling of the issue, writing: “It is an insult and totally unacceptable for Grok to still allow this if you’re willing to pay for it. I expect Ofcom to use the full legal powers parliament has given them.”
“Sexually manipulating images of women and children is despicable and abhorrent,” she wrote in The Telegraph on Friday.
On the same day, Mr Musk, who bought the platform in 2022, branded the UK government “fascist” and accused ministers of wanting to “suppress free speech” while sharing an AI-generated picture of prime minister Sir Keir Starmer in a bikini to his 231 million followers.
It is not the first time that critics have called for a ban on X in the UK. In 2024, campaigners and politicians accused the platform of amplifying misinformation, which helped spark the violent riots that took place in July and August of that year.
However, new powers given to Ofcom under the Online Safety Act at the end of March 2025 mean it now has a greater ability to act on unlawful content, especially where it relates to children’s safety.
Here’s everything you need to know:
Could Ofcom ban X in the UK?
Under the Online Safety Act, Ofcom can apply to the courts to effectively ban any non-compliant social media platform in the UK by restricting access to it.
This can then put requirement on internet service providers to block UK users from being able to access the domain, and on app stores to remove the mobile app which enables access to the platform.
It would be an unprecedented intervention by Ofcom. This would remove access for 20 million UK users, including government officials and companies.
The regulator would have arguable grounds to do this, as sharing an intimate photograph of someone without consent, even if it is manipulated, is an explicit offence under Section 188 of the Online Safety Act. By allowing this offence to be committed, X could be found to be non-compliant with the legislation.
There is also separate legislation covering child sexual abuse material, which is considered a priority offence.
Ofcom says its investigation will examine whether X has failed to comply with its legal obligations. It will include assessing the risk of people seeing content that is illegal in the UK, whether X has taken appropriate steps to prevent people from seeing this content, and whether it is taking down illegal content swiftly when it becomes aware of it.
X will have an opportunity to respond to a provisional decision.
What else could Ofcom do?
Ofcom has a softer power to impose explicit requirements on a social media platform to ensure it is operating in compliance with the law.
This may be a more likely first step for Ofcom to take, as it gives Mr Musk an explicit opportunity to remove the offending tool. However, his comments in recent days indicate that this may be unlikely.
Deploying this power may also avoid a difficult confrontation for the UK government with members of the Trump administration, some of whom have indicated during the furore that they would be unhappy with banning the platform.
Commenting on Saturday, Sarah Rogers, the US State Department’s under-secretary for public diplomacy, derided the possibility, accusing ministers of “contemplating a Russia-style X ban, to protect them from bikini images”.
Under the Online Safety Act, Ofcom has the power to impose fines on tech firms of “up to £18m or 10 per cent of their qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater” when they fail to meet their legal duties.
Criminal action could even be taken against senior managers who fail to follow information requests from Ofcom. This would not be in the scope of the issue so far, but with the launch of a formal investigation, the regulator will be expecting Mr Musk and his team to comply with investigators.
An Ofcom spokesperson said: “Reports of Grok being used to create and share illegal non-consensual intimate images and child sexual abuse material on X have been deeply concerning. Platforms must protect people in the UK from content that’s illegal in the UK, and we won’t hesitate to investigate where we suspect companies are failing in their duties, especially where there’s a risk of harm to children.
“We’ll progress this investigation as a matter of the highest priority, while ensuring we follow due process. As the UK’s independent online safety enforcement agency, it’s important we make sure our investigations are legally robust and fairly decided.”
