What's happened
Recent legislation in the UK and Australia aims to protect children online but faces criticism for relying on prohibition rather than education. Reports reveal increased exposure to harmful content, including pornography and dangerous algorithms, highlighting ongoing risks and the need for comprehensive digital literacy.
What's behind the headline?
The current approach to online safety is fundamentally flawed. Legislation like the UK’s Online Safety Act and Australia’s upcoming social media bans are reactive measures that address symptoms rather than causes. The data from recent reports shows that children’s exposure to harmful content, including violent pornography and self-harm material, has increased despite new rules. This indicates that prohibition drives activity underground or into unregulated spaces, where safeguards are minimal.
The reports from the Children’s Commissioner and independent research highlight that algorithms are a primary driver of harm, often presenting illegal or extreme content to children without their seeking it out. Dame Rachel de Souza’s comments underscore that the problem is rooted in platform design, not just user behavior. Restrictive policies without accompanying education risk creating a false sense of security and do little to develop children’s resilience or digital literacy.
The future of online safety must shift from solely restricting access to empowering children with skills to navigate digital environments responsibly. This will require collaboration between policymakers, tech companies, and educators to implement comprehensive digital literacy programs. The legislation should serve as a foundation, but the real change will come from fostering critical thinking and responsible online behavior. Failure to do so will leave children vulnerable as they grow into adults who lack the judgment to navigate an increasingly complex digital world.
What the papers say
The Scotsman’s article emphasizes that recent UK legislation is a step but insufficient without education, citing concerns about prohibitionist policies that may push activity into darker spaces. The Independent’s reports reveal that children are still encountering illegal and extreme content, often by accident, with algorithms playing a significant role in this exposure. Dame Rachel de Souza’s findings highlight that platform design and recommendation systems are major contributors to harmful online experiences, with a rise in accidental exposure to pornography and dangerous content. Meanwhile, The Guardian’s coverage confirms that despite new UK protections, exposure to harmful material has increased, especially among vulnerable groups, and that online algorithms continue to recommend harmful content at scale. The contrasting perspectives underscore that prohibition alone cannot address the root causes of online harm; a focus on digital literacy and platform accountability is essential for meaningful progress.
How we got here
The UK introduced the Online Safety Act to regulate online content, while Australia plans to ban under-16s from creating social media accounts. Despite these measures, reports show children are still exposed to harmful material, often by accident, and that platform algorithms continue to recommend dangerous content. Experts argue prohibition alone is insufficient, emphasizing the importance of digital literacy and responsible platform design.
Go deeper
Common question
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Are Current Online Safety Laws Enough to Protect Kids?
With recent legislation in the UK and Australia aiming to safeguard children online, many wonder if these measures are enough. Critics argue that laws focusing solely on prohibition may not address the root causes of online harm. This page explores the challenges of online safety laws today, the risks children face, and how digital literacy can make a real difference. Keep reading to find out what more needs to be done to keep kids safe online.
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What Are the New Policies for Online Safety and Are They Enough?
With recent legislation in the UK and Australia aiming to improve online safety, many wonder if these measures are enough to protect users, especially children. While new laws focus on banning harmful content and restricting social media use for minors, reports show that exposure to dangerous material still persists. This raises questions about the effectiveness of prohibition versus education, and the roles governments and tech companies play in creating a safer online environment. Below, we explore the latest policies, their limitations, and what more can be done to safeguard users online.
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Dame Rachel Mary de Souza DBE is a British educationalist, and former head teacher. She was the founding chief executive of the Inspiration Trust and served in that role until March 2021, when she took up the post of Children's Commissioner for England.
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TikTok/Douyin is a Chinese video-sharing social networking service owned by ByteDance, a Beijing-based Internet technology company founded in 2012 by Zhang Yiming.
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Instagram is an American photo and video sharing social networking service owned by Facebook, created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger and originally launched on iOS in October 2010.