Published on
25 October 2024
Children can be subject to devastating harm online, including exploitation and abuse, and exposure to harmful and damaging content that can harm their mental health and perceptions of relationships and sex. However, the online space can also bring many benefits to children – including connecting with family and friends, for entertainment, developing their own identity, and as a tool for education.
We urge the Government to take a balanced approach to ensuring children’s safety online. The onus of children’s safety should be on the technology companies and platforms that have designed services that are not safe for children.
We are calling on the Government to:
- Ensure that online pornographic content is regulated in the same way as offline pornographic content.
- Place a duty on platforms to implement effective age assurance solutions to uphold the minimum age set out in their Terms of Service. This will prevent children from accessing platforms that they are too young to access.
- Ensure that children are prevented from seeing harmful and inappropriate content online, through the regulation of services. This includes ensuring that the Online Safety Act is effectively implemented, and taking action to regulate the gaps.
- Ensure that all children have access to age-appropriate information about media literacy and online safety through Relationships, Sex and Health Education in schools.