A ban on social media for children aged under 16 could be unveiled within months, says Technology Secretary Liz Kendall.
The Cabinet minister said she wanted to make an announcement on the issue by the summer.
She also told tech giants to pay fines for breaking British law or face being blocked in the country.
The UK needs annual new laws, she added, to control the online world and proposed yearly legislation as happens for the Budget.
Asked how quickly a ban on social media for under 16s could come into effect, Ms Kendall told BBC Breakfast: “We will definitely come forward with our proposals before the summer.
“We want to get the legislation right, whatever we decide to do in the end.”
“Patience isn’t my greatest virtue,” she added signalling that a ban could be in place by the end of this year as the Government seeks to turn around its fortunes after a string of scandals by focusing on the cost-of-living and other domestic issues.
Ministers are launching a three-month consultation on a social media ban for children as other countries move to adopt such a restriction which is already in force in Australia.
Ms Kendall stressed that some campaigners for children’s safety were against a ban because they believe a “cliff edge” restriction would risk exposing children to greater harms.
But many parents and teachers support a ban.
Ms Kendall made clear that the Government will act with speed if it decides to go for a ban, stressing she did not want to wait years to implement its proposals to protect children using their mobile phones, computers or other online platforms.
MPs will get a vote on a ban, if proposed, she added.
Sir Keir Starmer announced on Monday that no online platform will get a “free pass” when it comes to children’s safety on the internet as he set out new plans to prevent harms.
Children could be prevented from using virtual private networks (VPNs) to illicitly access pornography, and limited from speaking with online chatbots under proposals being floated by the Prime Minister to bolster online safety.
The Government also plans to consult on restricting infinite scrolling.
Sir Keir was meeting parents and young people on Monday to insist that the Government will do all it can to keep children safe online.
The Government is vowing to close legal loopholes which have allowed chatbots to create deepfake nude images, and is planning further curbs on social media.
This follows the war of words between ministers and Elon Musk earlier this year, after his Grok AI chatbot - embedded into the social media site X - was used widely to make fake nude images of women.
Ahead of launching the consultation, the Prime Minister said: “The action we took on Grok sent a clear message that no platform gets a free pass.
“Today we are closing loopholes that put children at risk, and laying the groundwork for further action.
“We are acting to protect children’s wellbeing and help parents to navigate the minefield of social media.”
The consultation into new social media protections will launch in March and be guided by what parents and children say they want to see.
Ministers also plan to introduce powers through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to speedily change the law in reactions to changing online behaviours.
Elsewhere, amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill will be used to ensure chatbots protect users from illegal content.
The bill will also be updated to include measures which will preserve children’s social media and online data, as called for by the campaign group Jools’ Law.
The campaign was started by Ellen Roome, when questions about the death of her 14-year-old son Jools could not be answered as records of his digital activity could not be accessed.
Lord Nash, a Conservative former minister who has been campaigning in the Lords for tighter social media controls for children, welcomed the adoption of Jools’ Law by the Government but pressed for swifter action.
He added: “Instead of more deliberation, the Government must raise the age limit to 16 for the most harmful platforms now and has the opportunity to do so when the amendment effecting this - which passed overwhelmingly in the House of Lords - returns to the Commons.
“For every day we delay, the more children we fail.”
Shadow education secretary Laura Trott said the announcement was “more smoke and mirrors from a Government that has chosen inaction when it comes to stopping under-16s accessing social media”.
