A group of celebrities, including an Only Way is Essex star and a former lioness, met with Britain’s technology minister on Tuesday (September 12) to discuss their support for new laws designed to make the internet safer. The likes of Georgia Kousoulou, Emily Clarkson, Georgia Harrison and Fara Williams spoke to Michelle Donelan in Downing Street about the new laws that would make Britain the safest place in the world to be online.
The Online Safety Law will include tackling criminal activity online, forcing platforms to quickly remove terrorist material or child sexual abuse and exploitation as soon as they are made aware of their existence and not allowing them to be included in to promote their algorithms; Protect children from harmful or inappropriate content such as bullying, pornography and the promotion of self-harm and eating disorders; and increasing the transparency and accountability of online platforms. The bill is expected to come into force in a few weeks and is currently in its final stages in Parliament.
Social media and the online world have played a huge role in both our personal and professional lives, and many of the celebrities in attendance have all experienced trolling and other forms of online abuse, as has new parent Emily Clarkson, Georgia Kousoulou and others have previously expressed concerns about the safety of their children growing up in such a technology-driven world.
Georgia Kousoulou, former star of The Only Way is Essex, said: “Like any mother, I want my son to grow up feeling safe. These new internet safety laws are so important and will ensure our children are protected from cyberbullying and illegal content they should not see.”
Michelle Donelan, Technology Minister, said: “The message from the Government and these brave campaigners is clear. Enough is enough – it’s time to pass our online safety law and crack down on the sick and cowardly trolls who are out of sight online.
“We are committed to protecting our children and other vulnerable groups from the range of abhorrent content that they can now access all too easily.”
Former Love Island star Georgia Harrison recently launched a campaign in collaboration with domestic violence charity Refuge to include a code of practice on violence against women and girls in the Online Safety Act “to ensure that social Media companies respond to and prevent online violence.” against this group.
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She said: “Violence against women and girls is widespread, with one in three women in the UK having experienced online abuse or harassment.” The Online Safety Bill will help put an end to this by curbing social media Companies committed to protecting women and girls from online abuse.”
Under the new laws, all social media companies will be forced to crack down on illegal content and ensure they have systems and processes in place that can quickly remove criminal content once they become aware of its existence. The largest platforms with certain features will also be required by law to remove any material that violates their own terms of service and allow adults greater control over posts that contain legal material they may not want to see.
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