Technology Secretary Peter Kyle has said he would go to war for our kids in facing down social media firms who fail to protect them online – and warned he’s ready to use new powers
Peter Kyle has said he would go to war for Britain’s kids in facing down social media firms who fail to protect them online.
The Technology Secretary warned he is ready to use additional powers that kick in tomorrow to hold big tech firms to account on online safety.
After almost two years since the Online Safety Act (OSA) became law, Ofcom’s code of practices for children’s safety are finally being enforced from Friday.
Under the media regulator’s codes, online sites must introduce robust age verification tools – including facial scans, photo ID and credit card checks – to stop underage kids accessing things they shouldn’t, such as pornography. They have also been ordered to tame toxic algorithms and take faster action on removing harmful content including self-harm, suicide, eating disorders, extreme violence and dangerous online challenges.
Speaking to The Mirror, Mr Kyle said: “We now have additional powers. No one should doubt my readiness to either use them or insist they be used to keep children safe. There is literally nothing I wouldn’t do to live in a world where the stories I’ve heard from bereaved parents are never ever repeated here.
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“So if anybody thinks that an awkward conversation or somebody else’s sensitivities would stand in the way of me going to war for our kids, then they really get me wrong.”
Punishments for online firms that break UK laws include fines of up to 10% of global turnover from Ofcom or, in extreme cases, their platforms being switched off in the UK.
But the Molly Rose Foundation, founded by bereaved father Ian Russell after his 14-year-old daughter Molly took her own life having been bombarded by harmful content on social media, said the changes lack ambition and accountability.
Andy Burrows, chief executive of the charity, said: “This should be a watershed moment for young people but instead we’ve been let down by a regulator that has chosen to prioritise the business needs of big tech over children’s safety.” He said the “lack of ambition and accountability will have been heard loud and clear in Silicon Valley”.
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He added: “We now need a clear reset and leadership from the Prime Minister. That means nothing less than a new Online Safety Act that fixes this broken regime and firmly puts the balance back in favour of children.”
Bereaved families have long been crying out for action on online safety after their children’s deaths were linked to internet harms. Devastating stories include Archie Battersbee ’s death at 12 years old after an online prank went wrong and the killing of 16-year-old Brianna Ghey, whose teenage murderer accessed videos of torture and murder on the dark web.
Mr Kyle said he has found it “intensely frustrating” that it has taken more than a year of being in Government to get where we are. “Government and parliament should have dealt with this years and years ago, and I am extremely regretful that there is a generation of children and former children who never had any protection or regard for what they were viewing online,” he said. “Our whole society owes them an apology.”
The Cabinet minister has often acknowledged that the UK’s online safety laws are “lopsided” – and has long criticised the Tories for watering down the legislation when it passed through Parliament.
He said Friday’s measures would not create a “utopia from day one” but are a “big step forward”. He admitted further legislation would be needed in the future but said Parliament must improve at being able to introduce more regular updates of the law “because the nature of online life is very fast evolving”.
Mr Kyle is also exploring a package of measures to help tackle the addictiveness of social media and ensure kids have a healthier relationship with the online world. He is considering a two-hour cap on how much time youngsters spend on social media, as well as night-time or school-time curfews.
Ofcom has been criticised for its painstakingly slow implementation of the OSA, which became law in 2023. The media regulator carried out several consultations to figure out its new codes for online firms, at a pace a world away from the fast evolving tech world.
The NSPCC warned Ofcom it must “show its teeth and fully enforce the new codes” if firms do not comply with the new rules. And Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza added: “We cannot lose sight of the rapidly evolving online landscape, so in order for the Children’s Code to be effective and fit for the future, it is essential the Code keeps pace with emerging technology.”
Ofcom chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes said: “Prioritising clicks and engagement over children’s online safety will no longer be tolerated in the UK. Our message to tech firms is clear – comply with age checks and other protection measures set out in our codes, or face the consequences of enforcement action from Ofcom.”
Ofcom said it has launched a monitoring and impact programme focused on some of the platforms where children spend most time including social media sites Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, gaming site Roblox and video clip website YouTube.
The sites are among those which have been asked to submit, by August 7, a review of their efforts to assess risks to children and, by September 30, scrutiny of the practical actions they are taking to keep children safe.
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