‘My daughter took her own life because of social media – but a ban is not the answer’

As published in the i newspaper on November 20, 2024, by Ian Russell. 

“This week marks seven years since my 14-year-old daughter Molly died after being exposed to suicide and self-harm material online. Seven years on and too little has changed. Content just like Molly was bombarded with is still readily available on social media, and still algorithmically targeted at young people much as it was at her.

“On average, a UK family loses a young person to suicide where technology plays a role every single week. Molly’s death was just one in a persistent drumbeat of tragedies caused by harm that is entirely preventable.

“Harm which the Online Safety Act set out to prevent. But just weeks before the regulation takes effect, it is clear its implementation as overseen by Ofcom will not do all we hoped it would to save lives like Molly’s.

“Ofcom’s approach is disappointingly unambitious and risk averse. This has led the Government to set out its own vision this week in a Statement of Strategic Priorities. This welcome announcement is nonetheless only a down payment on what is needed to finish the job.

“It outlines a much-needed course correction, vital for improved online safety by preventing the new regulation falling unacceptably short of expectations.

“While this announcement lays down an important marker for Ofcom to be bolder, it is also abundantly clear that we will need a new Online Safety Act to strengthen current structural deficiencies in the regime, and to focus the regulator further by achieving measurable and sustained harm reduction.

“We are now at a fork in the road.

“This Government can decide to strengthen regulation with a new Online Safety Act or, as some are calling for, choose a new route by banning children from social media altogether.

“The reality is that any ban would fundamentally compromise the progress regulation will bring by taking us back to square one.

“Those saying we can’t wait any longer for regulation, seem to have overlooked that we are on the verge of it taking effect and the reality is that a ban would add many more years before it was enforced.

“Meanwhile, any important steps now being made to make platforms safer by design would shudder to a halt.

“Once established, a ban would also push bad actors en masse to gaming platforms. It would leave young people on a cliff edge of harm when digitally turning of age at 16 and starting to use social media.

“Young people would be denied all the benefits of our digital world and be penalised for the obstinance of tech firms and the failure of the last Parliament to legislate quickly and effectively enough.

“The price paid for bans would be a more preventable harm now, and a slew of unintended consequences in the long term.

“Which brings us to the second option – building on the regulatory framework that’s currently taking shape by strengthening the Online Safety Act.

“To fix the emerging structural deficiencies in the current Act, Ministers must commit to new legislation that strengthens the core of the duty of care expectations on both the regulator and companies.

“We know parents want credible change to complex problems, not more sticking plaster solutions. Molly Rose Foundation polling found that 84 percent of parents support a new Act (far more than support an outright ban), with 89 percent of those wanting it introduced in the first two years of this Parliament.

“That means reinstating an overarching Duty of Care on tech firms so they have to identify harm and then act on it. Currently, platforms would only have to act on what Ofcom tells them to do. There should be no such safe harbour for life threatening harms that are caused by tech companies.

“This approach is now being introduced in Australia and Canada but in the long drawn out process to get the Online Safety Act passed, it was ultimately dropped in the UK’s legislation.

“Strengthening the Act also means installing a new harm reduction duty on the regulator so Ofcom has set targets and works with an increased sense of urgency and ambition.

“A new Act should also set out a Duty of Candour on tech firms, making them liable for failing to proactively disclose information about foreseeable risks and making it an offence to frustrate, delay or obfuscate the work of the regulator and public bodies.

“Now is the time for boldness not timidity. My message to the Prime Minister is therefore clear: act quickly and decisively to finish the job, don’t delay strengthening the legislation. We have waited too long for the UK to draw a line on the tragedy of inherently preventable harm to our young people, it is time for strong legislation to keep them safe.”

If you’re struggling just text MRF to 85258 so you can speak to a trained volunteer from Shout, the UK’s Crisis Text Line service

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