Childline: Government must use the full force of the law to block illegal and harmful content
Childline will always be here to support young people who have experienced something upsetting online, but changes could be made to improve the online world and keep young people much safer.
Tomorrow (Tuesday, May 26), marks the end of the Government’s public consultation into making the online world safer.
The NSPCC has been asking adults and children across the UK what improvements they would like to see to online safety, and the results were overwhelming.
New polling of 11 to 15-year-olds carried out by YouGov found three quarters of young people (74%), would support the introduction of age ratings – similar to those used for movies and video games – on social media apps.
Separate polling for the NSPCC by Savanta showed 92% of adults also supported this move.
For decades, the age rating system has helped protect young people from experiencing films and games they were not ready for, and the introduction of a similar system for social media is one of the children’s charity’s three key demands for the Government going forward.
We believe introducing age-ratings based on what a user can see and do on a site would ensure children and young people get genuinely age-appropriate experiences online, and explain potential risks more clearly to parents and carers.
The NSPCC is also calling for platforms to stop using addictive design tricks like endless scrolling and persistent notifications that keep young people online for hours on end.
Lastly, we want the Government to use the full force of the law to block illegal and harmful content across online services, including on devices and AI. By preventing its creation at source, we can prevent it being shared and causing devastation of young people’s lives.
Failure to deliver on these actions would be disappointing to say the least, but the NSPCC accepts a social media ban for under 16s would be better than the status quo, where tech firms put profit before safety.
However young people experience the online world, our counsellors will be available around the clock on 0800 1111 or at www.childline.org.uk to support them.