Now it’s incumbent on MPs to pass the legislation and make the UK the safest place in the world to go online.
The Online Safety Bill is the legislation our children have been waiting for. They and their parents have made it clear just how important it is to them.
Under the bill, for the very first time, platforms will be required under law to protect children and young people from all sorts of harm, from the most abhorrent child abuse to cyberbullying to accessing pornography.
Those tech companies will be expected to use every possible tool to do so, including age assurance tech. Right now, platforms claim they have strict age limits for their sites and apps.
But ask most parents with any inkling of what their child is up to online, and they’ll tell you those age limits are rarely enforced. Under this bill, that won’t wash. Platforms will need to use technology to work out how old a user is, and limit their access to certain content.
