- A number of high-profile public figures today backed the Government’s Online Safety Bill
- It comes as the government releases the latest findings from Ipsos showing that UK adults think social media platforms should be doing more to keep children safe online
- Jermaine Jenas, Myleene Klass, Georgia Kousoulou, Jo Frost and Laura Amies are among the celebrities who have publicly supported new internet safety laws
- The bill returned to Parliament this week with new protections for children
The Government is publishing the latest results of an Ipsos poll showing that more than 70 per cent of UK adults think social media platforms should do more to keep children safe online.
The new dates coincide with the return of the Online Safety Bill to Parliament this week following the announcement of important new provisions.
These include greater accountability by larger tech companies to protect young people, including a requirement to publish a summary of their risk assessments of the dangers their platform poses to children, and measures to increase transparency and accountability through new powers for regulator Ofcom .
The Ipsos research also found that 69 percent of people believe children are unsafe when using social media, with 77 percent of adults concerned that children see content that encourages self-harm.
The bill will go further than before to shield children while protecting freedom of expression. The Online Safety Act has had considerable public support, which is now joined by other high-profile public figures, from former England footballer Jermaine Jenas to global parenting expert Jo Frost.
This follows confirmation that the bill will also include new measures to significantly change UK criminal law to improve the protection of vulnerable people online, by criminalizing encouragement of self-harm and the sharing of intimate images of people without their consent be asked.
Jermaine Jenas, former England footballer, broadcaster and parent says:
Our support for the landmark Online Safety Act is so important to ensuring tech companies crack down on harmful content children can access online. As a parent, I want to make sure my children can use the internet safely. The Online Safety Act is a step in the right direction.
Musician and mother Myleene Klass says:
These new internet safety laws are incredibly important to protect children and young people online. We are all aware of the harmful content that is available online and shared across social media platforms.
These new safety laws give social media platforms more responsibility to ensure this content is removed and enforce them to actually prevent underage children from accessing content they shouldn’t have. We need to make sure our children feel empowered, supportive and safe online.
TV personality and mother Georgia Kousoulou says:
As a mom, I’m already thinking about how I can help Brody navigate the online world. I have seen firsthand how harmful and damaging online content can be and the Online Safety Act is so important to prevent it.
It will hold tech companies accountable for harmful content they allow children to watch online. I look forward to the passing of this law and the impact it will have in making the online world a safer place for everyone.
Global parenting expert Jo Frost (“Super Nanny”) says:
While we recognize the importance of protecting our children in the physical world, we must also recognize the same importance of protecting our children online in the virtual world. “That’s why we urgently need to all unite to support these new internet safety laws to ensure social media companies are held more accountable for the content children access on their platforms.”
Child behavior expert Laura Amies (“The Toddler Tamer” from Channel 5’s Toddlers Behaving (Very) Badly) says:
With children learning so much from their surroundings, those around them, and the experiences they have, I believe it’s now more important than ever to do everything we can to ensure their safety online.
As an adult who spends a lot of time online, especially on social media, I can’t imagine navigating the internet during my formative years and often saying how grateful I am for going to school without a smartphone at my school Pocket.
However, as adults it is our responsibility to ensure that we keep online safety at the forefront in order to both protect and reap the endless benefits the internet has to offer us.
The Online Safety Bill was brought before Parliament in the House of Commons on December 5th for the report phase.
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Notes for editors
- Ipsos conducted an online survey between 4th and 8th November 2022 with a representative sample of 1,032 adults aged 16 to 75 in the UK. Quotas were set and the data were weighted using demographic variables to fit the known population profile.
