United Kingdom technology secretary Peter Kyle apologized to an entire generation of children for the government's failure to keep them safe from toxic online content.
Kyle said that the length of time that it took to bring in laws to keep kids safe online had "sold a whole generation of children downstream." He added that lawmakers must now find a way to act faster in the face of rapid technological changes.
Peter Kyle Apologizes to a Generation of Children
The technology secretary's remarks marked the introduction of online safety measures for children that will put more responsibility on internet companies in protecting kids from harm on the internet. Kyle said it was the "biggest step forward for a young person's experience online since the internet was created."
Kyle also apologized to any child who is older than 13 years old and has not had any of these protections that are now being given, as well as to parents who have worked and failed to keep their children free from harmful content, according to The Guardian.
The UK minister said that this cannot be allowed to happen again in the future, noting that urgent safety measures that were made necessary by technological advances took years to come into force. He added that this is the reason why an entire generation of kids was exposed to "torrid, toxic material" online.
Kyle is under pressure to work harder in clamping down on social media by kids, and his department has been thinking about curfews and time limits to help prevent addiction among children.
The new changes are part of the Online Safety Act and will be enforced by regulator Ofcom. These will require online platforms to implement age checks, using facial age estimation or credit card checks, the Independent reported.
Failure To Keep Them Safe From Toxic Online Content
The latter would be needed if the companies host pornography or other harmful content, such as self-harm, suicide, or eating disorders. The changes also require platforms to ensure that algorithms do not harm children, for example, by pushing such content towards them when they are online.
Ofcom's rules were also designed to protect kids from misogynistic, violent, hateful, or abusive material, online bullying, and dangerous challenges. If companies fail to comply with the new rules, they can be fined up to $24 million or 10% of their global revenues, whichever is higher, or have their executives imprisoned.
The bill also requires online companies to show that they are committed to removing illegal content, including child sexual abuse, controlling or coercive behavior, extreme sexual violence, self-harm, illegal drugs or weapons, and terrorism, as per BBC.
