The upcoming introduction of the Online Safety Act this year has sparked discussions on the adequacy of measures aimed at safeguarding young people on social media. The bill seeks to hold social media companies accountable by requiring them to prevent and remove illegal content from their platforms. Wania Eshaal Ahmad, 15, chair of the Youth Select Committee, highlights that the concerns raised by the committee, made up of 14 to 19-year-olds, are alarming. They caution that the bill does not go far enough in ensuring minimum age limits or in protecting young users from dangerous and predatory content.
When they were first announced, members of the Youth Select Committee were broadly positive about the measures set out in the Online Safety Act. They stressed that the legislation should be stronger. Members emphasized the alarm of social media algorithms unintentionally shoving violent and racist content to keep up user attention.
"It is quite abhorrent that social media algorithms could promote violent and harmful content," said Wania Eshaal Ahmad.
However well-intentioned the bill may be, the committee found the bill’s efforts inadequate to guarantee full safety for children and young people. They pointed out that a ban on social media similar to that being implemented in Australia was "neither practical nor effective."
In a bid to quell the controversy, a government spokesperson said that the Online Safety Act’s measures are “the start of a conversation.” They announced additional improvements to be implemented later this year. The spokesperson promised that these future revisions would help fix the gaps in the bill as it currently stands.
