More steps needed to protect young from self-harm on social media – psychiatrist
PA
14 December 2020, 7:59 pm
New laws forcing social networks to act on harmful material shared on their platforms do not go far enough in protecting vulnerable children from self-harm, a leading psychiatrist has warned.
The long-awaited online harms rules, which will be set out on Tuesday, threaten tech giants with multimillion-pound fines and sites being blocked in the UK if they fail to comply.
While social media sites and apps which host user-generated posts will be expected to remove or limit the spread of suicide content, the Government said it is still working with the Law Commission on whether the promotion of self-harm should be made illegal.
As the old proverb says, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Those words certainly apply to the Online Safety Bill, a sweeping measure that, in the name of public safety, could actually herald a new era of sinister state censorship.
Freedom of speech is already under grave threat in this country, and this proposal could represent a hammer blow to its battered existence.
Of course, the impetus behind this Bill – which ministers will elaborate on today - could not be more noble.
Its purpose is to protect web users, particularly the vulnerable, from online content that may promote self-harm or even suicide.
Oliver Dowden s Oral Statement on the Online Harms White Paper consultation response
The Digital Secretary updated Parliament on the government s full response to the Online Harms White Paper consultation.
From:
Mr Speaker, we now conduct a huge proportion of our lives online.
People in the UK spend an average of 4 hours 2 minutes on the internet every day. And of course we know that for children, it’s even longer.
Of course, that technology has improved our lives in countless ways.
But as members across the House know, too many people are still exposed to the worst elements of the web: illegal content; racist and misogynistic abuse; and dangerous disinformation.
Mr Speaker, we now conduct a huge proportion of our lives online.
People in the UK spend an average of 4 hours 2 minutes on the internet every day. And of course we know that for children, it’s even longer.
Of course, that technology has improved our lives in countless ways.
But as members across the House know, too many people are still exposed to the worst elements of the web: illegal content; racist and misogynistic abuse; and dangerous disinformation.
Those interactions may be virtual, but they are causing real harm.
Over three-quarters of UK adults express concerns about logging on, while a declining number of parents believe the benefits of their children being online outweigh the risks.
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