Disappointed Father of Suicidal Teenage Daughter Voices Concerns Over Recent Online Safety Regulations
Unfiltered Take:
Grieving father slams Ofcom's new internet rules for kids as a 'bitter pill'
Internet bigwigs are now facing legal action if they don't toe the line with new rules designed to safeguard minors online, announced by Ofcom today.
The media watchdog has thrown down the gauntlet with a hefty code of over 40 measures, claiming these will thwart young ones from accessing damaging content. But Ian Russell, who's been on a relentless crusade for a safer internet since his daughter Molly's tragic demise in 2017, isn't buying it. He calls the move 'unduly cautious' and feels it will ultimately fail to block more young lives from reckless online harms.
Here's the lowdown on Ofcom's new guidelines:
Key Elements of the Code:
Safe Feeds
Internet platforms need to reengineer their algorithms to weed out harmful content from kids' feeds, ensuring a cleaner online playground.
Strict Age Verification
Tough age checks must be in place to keep kids away from 'risky' services, particularly for services with adult content.
Swift Removal of Harmful Content
Internet giants must establish efficient moderation systems to quickly tackle and remove harmful content from their platforms once identified.
Easy Reporting
Reporting harmful content should be a breeze for kids, and platforms need to take prompt action on these reports.
User Control
Children should be able to take control over their online experiences, with options like blocking content and disabling comments on their posts.
Streamlined Complaints Process
The complaints process should be easy to navigate, ensuring kids can report harmful content without fuss or confusion.
Assigned Accountability
Each company should assign a dedicated individual responsible for children's safety, as well as an upper-level body to periodically review risk management.
Political Ponderings
Tech secretary Peter Kyle hailed the introduction of the code as a 'turning point,' asserting it would clamp down on 'lawless, toxic domains' online. Ofcom chief Dame Melanie Dawes also endorsed the new guidelines, stating they'd lead to less harmful content for kids, stricter privacy, and effective age checks on adult content.
But grieving father Ian Russell expresses dissatisfaction with the lack of ambition in today's codes and accuses Ofcom of prioritizing tech companies' bottom lines over young people's welfare. He argues that the overly cautious approach will lead to more preventable harm for children like Molly. The Molly Rose Foundation's chief executive, Andy Burrows, shares similar sentiments, questioning the focus on industry interests instead of effective measurements against online harms.
Caring Corps
For those in need of emotional support, reach out to the Samaritans at 116 123 (UK), email, or visit your local Samaritans branch or their website. Their HOPELINE247 is open 24/7 at 0800 068 4141, text 88247, or email: [email protected].
- Ian Russell, grieving father and a relentless advocate for a safer internet, found Ofcom's new internet protections insufficient and claimingly cautious, arguing that it fails to adequately prevent harm to children like his daughter, Molly.
- The new guidelines unveiled by Ofcom include the creation of 'Safe Feeds' to filter out harmful content for children, strict age verification for 'risky' services, swift removal of harmful content, user control options, easy reporting systems, streamlined complaints processes, and assigned accountability for children's safety.
- Tech secretary, Peter Kyle, expressed his enthusiasm for the new codes, stating that it would curb lawless and toxic domains online, while Ofcom chief, Dame Melanie Dawes, emphasized that the guidelines would lead to less harmful content for children, stricter privacy, and effective age checks on adult content.
- The CEO of the Molly Rose Foundation, Andy Burrows, shares Russell's sentiments, criticizing the focus on industry interests rather than effective measures against online harms, implying a potential disregard for children's well-being by Ofcom and internet giants in favor of protecting their own interests.
