House of Commons · Westminster Hall
26 November 2024 · 18 other contributors · 13,630 words
Opened by Lola McEvoy Lab Darlington
Responding minister: Feryal Clark
Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.
Lola McEvoy raised concerns about online safety: children and young people — [peter dowd in the chair] in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key points
Key requests to Government
I urge the Government to strengthen the children's codes of practice under the Online Safety Act 2023 and consider proactive measures to make apps safe for all children instead of reactive safety measures. The current age verification requirements are not fit for purpose, and there is a need for stronger age verification models or adult-only platforms that require strong authentication.
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.
Opened the debate
I am concerned about the widespread online bullying, unsolicited receipt of disturbing images from algorithms, and exposure to harmful content that negatively impacts children's mental health. Parents across Darlington have agreed on the need for action. Children in my constituency reported seeing violent or explicit images unprompted, being blackmailed, and witnessing in-person bullying facilitated by app features like live location tracking.
Supported the lead MP's call for legislative action and mentioned a smartphone-free pledge signed by hundreds in his constituency to delay access to smartphones.
Paying tribute to the hon. Member for Darlington, Ben Spencer highlighted the importance of protecting children from harmful or illegal content online. He praised the Online Safety Act introduced by the previous Conservative Government and asked questions about its implementation, particularly focusing on how social media companies can ensure user safety through design.
Asked the lead MP to set out why discussing online safety for children and young people is important at this time. Paid tribute to the hon. Member for Darlington and highlighted the impact of online dangers on young people, citing examples like Molly Russell's case. Emphasised the role of algorithms in normalising harmful content and mentioned recent incidents of bullying among junior-age children in her constituency. Noted that 27% of children have seen pornography by age 11.
Ms Voaden highlighted the significant risks children face online, including cyber-bullying and exposure to inappropriate content. She cited statistics from Ofcom showing one in five UK children have experienced online harm and NSPCC data indicating over 60% of young people encounter bullying online. She expressed concern about early access to pornography and smartphone addiction among younger children.
Suggested that the regulator could act with more powers than it currently has, as supported by civil society experts and mental health charities.
Asked about the use of artificial intelligence to create child sexual abuse materials, emphasizing the need to stay ahead of technological challenges.
Highlighted that 79% of children under 18 have encountered violent pornography before age 18, with an average exposure age of 13.
Jake Richards congratulated Lola McEvoy on securing the debate and expressed deep concern for his daughter's safety in the online world. He emphasized the need to grasp the issue of online safety urgently, citing concerns from teachers and parents about smartphone apps, online bullying, and shocking content available to young people. Richards also mentioned running an online survey which received numerous worries regarding smartphone usage and online safety.
Jeremy Wright focused on the technical aspects of the Online Safety Act, stressing the importance of ensuring that Government, Parliament, and Ofcom are aligned as responsibility for implementing the Act moves from legislators to the regulator. He expressed concerns about whether harm to children is solely content-based and highlighted the significance of risk assessment under section 11 of the Act, urging the Minister to consider these issues in relation to the draft codes.
Ms Asato discussed the need for stricter regulations on smartphones and social media due to their negative impact on children's mental health, sleep, and learning. She mentioned a rise in short-sightedness among children linked to smartphone use and called for action against nude deepfake apps, which disproportionately affect women and girls.
Jim Shannon congratulated Lola McEvoy on setting the scene well and expressed support for the Online Safety Act. He highlighted issues such as cyber-bullying, grooming, online exploitation, self-harm, and suicide among young people in Northern Ireland, noting that 83% of 12 to 15-year-olds now own a smartphone with full internet access. Shannon also mentioned a rise in crimes involving children being contacted by sexual predators, which increased by nearly one-third in 2023.
Drawing parallels with historical road safety measures, Josh MacAlister argued that the Online Safety Act is a stepping stone rather than a destination. He highlighted concerns about excess screen time, mental health impacts, and the generational rewiring of childhood due to smartphone usage. MacAlister proposed raising the age of digital consent for data sharing from 13 to 16 and advocated for Ofcom's additional powers beyond content regulation.
Ms Minns highlighted the rapid evolution of mobile technology and its impact on online safety, particularly for children. She mentioned the initial self-regulatory codes published by mobile networks to address content issues but noted that the industry's role has shifted from gatekeeper to enabler of over-the-top services like YouTube and TikTok. Ms Minns stressed the need for greater responsibility in protecting young users, especially given the rise in child sexual abuse imagery online. She urged media outlets to use more accurate language when referring to such content.
Ms Blackman discussed the need for restrictions on features that children can access online, highlighting the rise in self-generated child sexual abuse material. She mentioned a report from CyberSafe Scotland detailing issues faced by primary school children aged 10 to 12, including pervasive misogyny and inappropriate content. Ms Blackman expressed concern over the lack of coverage in the Online Safety Act for the online gaming world and called for more frequent reviews of legislation to keep up with rapidly changing online threats.
Congratulated the hon. Member for Darlington on securing the debate and expressed concern over the disproportionate impact of online harm on girls and young women, citing a report that 60% of girls aged 11 to 16 had received negative comments about their appearance online. Highlighted the increase in severe online abuse targeting girls.
Richard Burgon brought to the Minister's attention the story of his constituent Joe Nihill and urged internet service providers to block harmful suicide-related content before Ofcom's new powers are put into practice next year.
Congratulated the lead MP on securing the debate and urged technology companies to take their responsibilities more seriously in improving online safety.
Victoria Collins highlighted the importance of listening to young people who are asking for change in online safety. She mentioned that children as young as eleven want smartphones, indicating a need for discussion on appropriate age limits. Collins emphasized the addictive nature of phones and their impact on digital mental health, such as sleep deprivation and short-sightedness. She also discussed the importance of proactive measures like safety by design and an independent advocacy body for online safety.
Government Response
Feryal ClarkIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Dowd. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Darlington (Lola McEvoy) on securing this debate. As hon. Members can see, debates in Westminster Hall take a whole different form from debates in the House; they are a lot more informative and collegiate, and Westminster Hall is a much nicer place to debate. I welcome the parents in the Public Gallery and thank them for their commitment and the work they continue to do to make sure that this issue stays on our agenda and continues to be debated. I know they have met my colleagues, and I look forward to meeting them as well. I am grateful to all hon. Members for the incredibly powerful and informative contributions to today's debate. The Government are committed to keeping children safe online, and it is crucial that we continue to have conversations about how best to achieve that goal. We live in a digital age, and we know that being online can benefit children of all ages, giving them access to better connections, education, information and entertainment. However, we know that it can also accentuate vulnerabilities and expose children to harmful and age-inappropriate content. Last week, the Secretary of State visited NSPCC headquarters to speak to their voice of online youth group. That is just the latest meeting in a programme of engagement undertaken by the Secretary of State and my colleague in the other place, Baroness Maggie Jones. Getting this right has been and will continue to be a long process. Many hon. Members here will remember the battle to get the Online Safety Act passed. Under the Act, user-to-user and search services will need to assess the risk that they might facilitate illegal content and must put in place measures to manage and mitigate any such risk. In addition, in-scope services likely to be accessed by children will need to protect children from content that is legal but none the less harmful to children, including pornography, bullying and violent content. Ofcom will be able to use robust enforcement powers against companies that fail to fulfil their duties. Ofcom's draft codes set out what steps services can take to meet those duties. The proposals mean that user-to-user services that do not ban harmful content should introduce highly effective age checks to prevent children from accessing the entire site or app, or age-restrict those parts of the service that host harmful content. My hon. Friends the Members for Slough (Mr Dhesi) and for Lowestoft (Jess Asato) and the hon. Member for Aberdeen North raised the issue of violence against girls and women. In line with our safer streets mission, platforms will have new duties to create safer spaces for women and girls. It is a priority of the Online Safety Act for platforms proactively to tackle the most harmful illegal content. I am running short of time, so I shall make some final remarks. While we remain resolute in our commitment to implementing the Online Safety Act as quickly and effectively as possible, we recognise the importance of these ongoing conversations, and I am grateful to everyone who has contributed to today's debate.