UK Government ramps up efforts to boost online safety

The UK Government has launched new initiatives to “keep pace with technology” and help it deliver its ambition to create an online world safe for children.

It has launched a study to explore the effects of smartphone and social media on children’s mental health to strengthen the evidence needed to create a safer online world, while technology secretary Peter Kyle has published his statement of strategic priorities (SSP)for Ofcom, as it prepares to enforce the laws set out in the Online Safety Act next year.

It is understood Kyle has become the first secretary of state to exercise this power, which was introduced by the act.

The five strategic priorities include ensuring safety by design is baked into platform from the start, boosting transparency and accountability from tech firms, delivering an agile approach to regulation, creating a digital world that is inclusive and resilient to harm and foster the innovation of online safety technologies.

This strategy will help the government “monitor progress, collate evidence, innovate, and act where laws are coming up short”, Kyle said.

He added: “I am committed to using all the tools at our disposal from monitoring the impact of new laws, creating more and better evidence, and working with online safety campaigners and charities to achieve this goal.”

The priorities will be finalised with the input of experts and campaigners, to ensure government action is informed by those with those who have suffered the consequences of poor online safety measures.

The SSP is expected to be laid in parliament for approval in spring next year, before being formally designated by Kyle.

Last month, Ofcom announced a timeline for the implementation of the Online Safety Act, claiming 2025 would be a “pivotal year” for building a safer online world. The regulator will start enforcing the act from spring next year.

However, since being introduced, the act has come under fire from campaigners for not going far enough. In August, research by the Molly Rose Foundation found the act was “unfit for purpose” after finding social media platforms were underperforming in their duty to moderate content.

Maria Neophytou, director of strategy and knowledge at the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, said: “Tech companies must be transparent about the harm happening on their platforms. They should be disrupting ‘safe havens’ for offenders by tackling the hidden abuse taking place through private messaging. It is right that the government is focusing on driving innovation and new technology that can identify and disrupt abuse and prevent harm from happening in the first place.

“The regulatory framework has the potential to change the online world for children. We continue to campaign for an ambitious approach to the enforcement of the legislation, and for children to be listened to and actively included.”

The new research project aims to help policymakers understand the relationship between children’s wellbeing and smartphone use and help direct future government action.

The first stage of the study will look into what methods will best help the government understand the impact of smartphones and social media use on children after a review by the UK Chief Medical Officer in 2019 found the evidence base around the links to children’s mental health were insufficient to provide strong conclusions.