The children's commissioner for England, Rachel de Souza, criticized Ofcom's new measures under the Online Safety Act as inadequate for protecting under-18s from online harms. Despite her warnings about the weakness of these proposals last year, Ofcom's recent codes of practice failed to address these concerns, prioritizing big tech's business interests instead. De Souza highlighted feedback from over one million young people who regard online safety as a pressing issue, emphasizing that if tech companies cannot ensure safe online environments for children, they should not operate in that space. The measures include implementing robust age checks and procedures to remove harmful content swiftly.
I made it very clear last year that its proposals were not strong enough to protect children from the multitude of harms they are exposed to online every day.
If companies can't make online spaces safe for children, then they shouldn't be in them.
Children should not be expected to police the online world themselves.
I am disappointed to see this code has not been significantly strengthened and seems to prioritize the business interests of technology companies over children's safety.
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