Backbench Business

The motion recognises the need for urgent action to address various forms of 'online harms', such as child sexual exploitation, suicide promotion, hate speech, intimidation, disinformation, and others. The scale of these issues has increased with the growth of the internet, exacerbated by the global pandemic leading to more time spent online. Jeremy Wright cites examples like 80 million interactions on Facebook with sites spreading coronavirus misinformation compared to 6 million each for WHO and CDC, and over 100 daily online sex crimes against children. He supports a balanced approach through a duty of care for online platforms, as proposed in the Government’s White Paper, which would require proactive scanning for emerging harms and changing algorithms that prioritise harmful content.

Emphasises the importance of raising awareness about pancreatic cancer on World Pancreatic Cancer Day. Highlights the Government's failure to implement age verification for online pornography despite obligations set out in the Digital Economy Act 2017.

Supports the need for a new social media regulator with the power to audit and impact social media algorithms to ensure they do not cause harm. Such regulation would enable proactive steps to mitigate online harms.

Pay tribute to right hon. Jeremy Wright and the hon. Fiona Bruce for securing this debate on World Children's Day. Commercial pornography websites expose children to hardcore violent pornography, which is illegal offline. Three years ago, Parliament passed legislation but it has not been implemented. The online harms White Paper does not address the regulation gap. Children are exposed to violent and misogynistic content at an alarming scale, especially during the pandemic. Demand for the Government to act on part 3 of the Digital Economy Act, which would prohibit commercial pornography websites from making their content available to anyone under 18.

Congratulate Jeremy Wright for introducing this debate. Urgent need for online harms White Paper and draft Bill, as social media companies should not solely decide on harmful content without legal framework. Need regulatory body to audit and scrutinise decisions made by companies regarding removal of harmful content. Companies like Facebook direct people to harmful content through engagement prioritisation, leading to issues such as amplification of medical conspiracy theories. Call for regulation of business model that prioritises engagement over harm prevention.

Thank Jeremy Wright and Fiona Bruce for securing the debate. Pay tribute to Damian Collins for his chairmanship of the DCMS Committee, which took on social media platforms. Highlight 50% increase in public reports of suspected child abuse by IWF over past year but a drop in take-down rate of URLs. Platforms have not gone far enough and current system of self-regulation with regulator does not work. Demand for continued funding of IWF and action to protect children from harm faced online.

The Prime Minister highlighted the Government's responsibility to protect citizens from harm, emphasising the urgent need for an online harms Bill and age verification legislation. Fiona Bruce urges the Government to act swiftly on these fronts to prevent children from accessing commercial pornography and being coerced into producing self-generated indecent images of themselves. She also points out the growing concern over livestreamed abuse facilitated by tech companies and social media platforms, calling for more accountability in regulating online spaces.

Doughty highlights the range of online harms in his constituency and the inadequacies of major platforms like YouTube in removing harmful content despite being repeatedly reported. He emphasises the need for urgent government action to regulate these platforms, especially regarding extremism, hate speech, and criminality, urging the adoption of age verification as a minimum standard.

Hinds addresses the mental health impacts on teenagers from curated online lives, constant scoring systems, bullying, and the effect on sleep and concentration. He calls for legislation to tackle content related to self-harm and eating disorders, limit compulsive design techniques like autoplay and infinite scroll, and discourage doctored photos and undisclosed product placements aimed at young children.

The Petitions Committee's new inquiry on tackling online abuse should continue to scrutinise the Government’s response, particularly in relation to disabled people and antisemitism. The proposed White Paper fails to address most of the concerns about online harms, such as hate crime and terrorism, which need a statutory code of practice.

The internet can be both beneficial and harmful. The focus should be on children's safety through age verification for pornography sites and addressing the lack of regulation in online advertising compared to broadcast media, ensuring a level playing field.

The current epidemic of online frauds requires more responsibility from tech companies to protect users. Additionally, illegal weapons used on the streets are available for delivery through platforms that should not sell such items due to existing bans.

Acknowledges the benefits of the internet during the pandemic but highlights its serious threats to health and security. Focuses on the need for statutory age verification on porn websites to protect children, urging the Government to use existing legislation effectively.

The huge rise in online scams, hate speech and conspiracy theories has highlighted why the Government have to take action urgently... There needs to be a strong counter-narrative from the Government. That has been missing in countering both hate speech and anti-vaccination theories.

The internet has changed the world... I hope the Government include in the Bill.

In my short contribution, I wish to focus on two areas: the need for this legislation to have sufficient teeth and for clear definitions of what constitutes an online harm... If the Government do get this right, they have the opportunity, probably a once-in-a-generation one, to make the internet a safer but no less free place to be.

I congratulate the right hon. and learned Member for Kenilworth and Southam on his introduction... What conversations have the Government had to ensure that Facebook and others design and deliver platforms that put child protection services front and centre, as they should be?

I congratulate my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Kenilworth and Southam (Jeremy Wright), my hon. Friend the Member for Congleton (Fiona Bruce) and the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull North (Dame Diana Johnson) on securing this important debate. As my right hon. and learned Friend said, there needs to be parity between online and real-world abuse. Just because hate is fuelled online, it does not make it any less real or any less hurtful, so there really should be parity. People cannot hide behind a keyboard and expect to get away with it. In the brief time I have, I want to tell two stories. One involves a Conservative Member of this House who was confronted by neo-Nazis in Germany, and another about Joseph Hallett, an author claiming to be King John III with theories on antisemitism and Hitler being a British spy. His content has inspired violence abroad. Dealing with harmful online content is crucial for the proposed duty of care in the Online Harms Bill.

This is an incredibly important issue, especially regarding age verification on pornographic websites to protect children from illegal content as per our manifesto commitment. Research shows 83% of parents believe there should be robust controls in place. The Government must commit to this policy despite their arguments against it during business questions. It is crucial that the Government considers redesignating the regulator and implementing part 3 within months, protecting children until the Online Harms Bill comes into effect.

We are spending more time online, leading to increased harms like financial scams and disinformation around vaccination. Anti-vaxxers targeting vaccines during the pandemic pose a significant danger to public health. Social media companies must take responsibility for tackling these issues. Online harassment disproportionately affects young women and girls, with over 20% receiving abuse on photos or statuses they posted. Nearly half are afraid to give opinions online due to fear of negative responses. The toxic environment deters women from participating fully in the digital world. It is crucial that victims feel able to report their experiences to authorities if big tech does not act. I urge the Government to bring forward concrete plans for the Online Harms Bill as soon as possible.

The internet, while critical for an active life as a citizen, consumer, and economic contributor, also poses significant challenges such as the spread of disinformation, sexual exploitation, fake news, extremism, hatred, and other harmful content. The current regulation has not kept pace with technological advancements, leaving people increasingly exposed to significant harms. The Labour Government in 2010 took proactive steps towards regulating communications technologies, whereas the Conservative-led government since 2012 failed to address these issues adequately despite promising repeated legislation on online harms. Labour calls for emergency legislation against anti-vax disinformation and a digital bill of rights with a legal duty of care, a statutory regulator for online platforms, and a public debate on what our online future should look like.