Government announce plans for "duty of care" online safety laws

The Government's Online Harms White Paper recommends a new regulatory framework for online safety and sets out a programme of actions to tackle online content or activity that harms individual users, especially children, or threatens the "way of life" in the UK by inciting violence or terrorism

Making a statement in the Commons, Jeremy Wright, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said;

"Our challenge as a society is to help shape an internet which is open and vibrant but also protects it's users from harm. There is clear evidence that we are not succeeding."

• Watch Parliament TV: Statement on Online Harms White Paper
• Read Hansard: Statement on Online Harms White Paper

The White Paper found that voluntary actions intended to protect users have not been sufficiently or consistently applied by online companies. In response it suggests a new regulatory framework, including the establishment of an independent watchdog to enforce the duty of care owed by social media companies to their users.

A 12 week consultation on the proposals has also been launched today, after which the Government will introduce legislative proposals.

• Read the Online Harms White Paper [external]
• Read the Government's Press release on the Online Harms White Paper [external]
• Have your say: respond to the Government's Online Harms White Paper [external]

Image: Unsplash

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