The digital ministers of the G7 have agreed a common approach to shielding children and young people from online harm.

Following talks in Paris, the UK and its G7 partners have agreed to a set of shared principles to help tackle the growing risks children face in a digital world.

The principles are centred around promoting digital literacy, addressing risks to children from AI chatbots, and pushing digital services providers to take a robust approach to online safety.

The agreement sets expectations that children's safety is built into digital services from the start not as an afterthought.

Science and technology secretary Liz Kendall said: "AI and other technologies have the power to transform our economies and create prosperity for people across all our nations.

"But ordinary citizens and businesses will only see those benefits when they have trust that these technologies are being developed safely and responsibly — and when children can grow up in a digital world designed with their wellbeing in mind.

"The agreements we have reached today are an important step on that journey: outlining a shared approach to protecting our children, backing our small businesses to adopt AI, and ensuring AI is developed safely and responsibly."