NAHT comments on new laws requiring social media companies to do more to protect children online

Commenting on the government's Online Safety Bill, announced in the Queen's Speech yesterday, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, said:

“NAHT has previously called for a statutory duty of care to guarantee that social media companies will prioritise the safety and wellbeing of children and young people, and remove content quickly that is inappropriate or harmful.

“Social media companies need to be more proactive. They need to be on the ball looking for material and have a clearer line on what is and isn’t acceptable, particularly where children and young people are concerned.

“Social media providers should look at not only illegal content but also legal material that could be harmful. These companies need to ask themselves: ‘Could this content cause harm to children or young people?’ If the answer is yes, then the content needs to come down or more needs to be done to prevent children and young people from accessing it."