US EditionOnline safety laws to be toughened to make blocking of self-harm content a legal requirement
The Online Safety Act will treat encouraging serious self-harm as a priority offence, requiring platforms to block such content proactively, said Technology Secretary Liz Kendall.
- On Monday, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall announced the Online Safety Act will require platforms to stop self-harm content for adults and children, effective this Autumn.
- Campaigners pointed to the death of Molly Russell after the Online Safety Act did not cover self-harm content, and the Molly Rose Foundation, set up by Ian Russell, welcomed the change.
- Under the new rules, platforms must block self-harm promoting material before it appears, while Ofcom, the communications regulator, is expected to act swiftly and robustly against offences.
- Charities responded by urging enforcement, with the Samaritans calling on Ofcom to use its powers to hold platforms accountable, while Andy Burrows, charity chief executive, warned grooming young people into self-harm is a growing threat.
- Security warnings in March from the National Crime Agency noted an "unprecedented risk" from so-called 'Com networks' that groom children into self-harm, while investigations by news outlets documented online gangs driving calls for tougher regulation.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Platforms Face Stricter Rules on Self-Harm Content Under UK Online Regulation
The UK government will compel online platforms to proactively detect and remove self-harm content before it reaches users, under the Online Safety Act. The Online Safety Act (OSA) already required platforms to remove illegal content, including certain forms of suicide and self-harm encouragement, once they were aware of it. The new regulations proposed by the ruling Labour government on Sept 8 mean that content encouraging or assisting serious s…
Fighting stigma about suicide – ‘A child psychiatrist said I was an “attention-seeking brat” when I harmed myself, I felt like I’d been written off’
I lost hope when I was just 14. For a long time back then, everything about my life felt very bleak. And when I would think about my future, I could only think about what people would say at my funeral.
Online self-harm offences upgraded after Molly Rose Foundation campaigning
The Government has upgraded self-harm offences under the Online Safety following campaigning by Molly Rose Foundation. The announcement by the new Technology Secretary Liz Kendall means encouraging or assisting serious self harm will now be a priority offence under the legislation. This should result in companies having to do more to disrupt this type of harm and Ofcom having a greater focus on the issue in order to hold firms to account where t…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
