New online safety rules are here but as tech races ahead, expect changes

Certainly the darkest fear of any mother or father – losing their children to a world that is overlooked, where they cannot protect them.

Esther Ghey, Ian Russell, Mariano Janin, Liam Walsh, Ellen Rome, Lisa Kenevan, Hollie Dance and Judy Thomas.

They are parents who believe that the Internet plays a role in the death of their children: Brianna, Molly, Mia, Maia, Jools, Isaac, Archie and Frankie.

And they bravely told us their stories, shared their pain, hoping to push the authorities to organize more effectively.

After years of campaign and political debates, technology platforms – in weeks – will have to prevent children from seeing children online, including the material that encourages pornography and self -harm. Users are expected to control their age and may be punished for heavy fines if they do not.

However, the debate about whether the changes will have the right effect is already violent. In particular, the government freely accepts that new rules already need an update. So what’s going on?

A Whitehall source is a Whitehall source with high hopes of change on the road, “he said, if he does what he says,” he said.

Ofcom will be responsible for the implementation of new children’s safety rules that will require platforms to check their age. These are coming into force on July 25 – and Dame Melanie Dawes, General Manager of Ofcom, will participate in the studio tomorrow morning to explain more.

The regulatory does not tell platforms how to confirm the fully age of users. However, he may be sharing a selfie in real time or controlling the bank details. It should not see theoretically harmful content without proved that they are 18 years old.

Ofcom’s measures to ensure that technology companies abolish illegal content have already come into force. A high -level Whitehall source: “We have been 20 years without paying attention to security.” You can’t say that now.

However, some observers take a very dim look as to how long the new rules will change.

A campaignist said: “If we believe in the breathless PR, we can all take it to our sunbeds and just enjoy the sun.”

True or wrong, new rules do not include children share each other in messaging applications and do not prevent in -app purchases such as risky stunts or challenges or looting boxes that cost some families.

And as technology progresses, the rules are increasingly not fully covering AI chat boots that attract more children’s attention.

The online security law in 2023 did not struggle with material but legal materials for adults, not at least because of a supreme order when they were responsible at the conservative party.

The new system designed to protect everyone on Friday was not established to fight against misinformation or hate.

Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, which investigates the law after Southport uprisings, said that internet users have been exposed to large amounts of harmful and misleading “, damaging mental health, normalizing extremist views, weakening democracy,” he said.

The deputies in the committee concluded that the law could not keep the British citizens “core and widespread online damage safe”.

Many security campaigns think that the rules are not going forward enough and that ofcom is very careful. “I don’t just understand the deficiencies of speed or urgency.”

It took years for the online Security Law to be passed as a law in the first place. Parliament for a long time struggling with real dilemmas – especially how to protect the fundamental rights of free speech and privacy.

Then, ofcom took months to write the application codes that came into force over time. They wanted to create practical rules for technology platforms themselves.

Although an industrial source is “logical and adult”, and the rules are not “revolutionary”, it is important to position England in the EU and positions between a more loose regime in the United States.

Regardless, these new laws have been very, very long time. And when Whitehall grinds, technology and experiences are online.

Who really heard AI five years ago? Now many sources I talk about to question whether the whole system is designed is correct.

The former minister I talked about, said that the regulation of the Internet in this way was a “category error” and questioned whether Offom was the right body to do the job.

But in the end, ofcom can only work within the laws set by MPS.

Tomorrow we will focus on the studio on the effect of new rules, but there is a demand to go further between politicians.

Labour’s educational secretary branded Tories’s telephone phones “cheating” banned. The Prime Minister said it was “unnecessary”. However, the House of Lords can support the votes in the middle of the day and push the question back to the deputies.

Can some newly encouraged labor backhcher be attractive to support him? One of them told me if there was a change and that there was a new educational secretary: “I will be there directly, leave the war, enter the right side of the people and parents and accepted Tories’s offer.”

However, I understand that there are new measures in the government that may arise even after the summer.

Age verification with measures to be enacted, responsible Cabinet Minister Peter Kyle, wants to shift the conversation to healthy habits. The online security law focuses on the Internet. However, Kyle’s next focus is about how we use it, considering how some applications can make addictive.

A source said: “Children should not have to be grateful, they cannot see severe porn on their devices… The next discussion is about what is healthy online.”

Ministers think about how to protect children from algorithms that can “make children feel away from control” or guide compulsive behavior. Among the bids in the table include a “application cover”, screen time limits, extra rules in live streams, and more distinction between 13 and 16 -year -old children can make online.

It is likely that more legislation will bring the next change round, but as a deputy said: “He’s stuck somewhere in the system.”

You can wait for the next conversation that governments can benefit from the worst extremism of the Internet and benefit from incredible opportunities to be a part of political film music.

Technology has made many aspects of our lives better in recent years. But for many families, online experiences brought a terrible pain. Just as our heads could try to understand all changes, politicians have struggled to balance dangers, opportunities and how they could be called to protect the people.

What is online is not the usual political lawn, such as meeting the ends, running schools or hospitals. But our virtual lives are becoming a greater part of our political life, as well as an increasing part of our world.

A list of organizations in the UK, which offers support and information with some issues in this story, can be accessed from this address. BBC Action line

Register In the air with Laura K Every week, Laura Kuensberg’s expert insight and the bulletin that will take stories from inside sent you directly to you.

BBC Independent With the new perspectives that challenge assumptions and make deep reporting about the biggest problems of the day for the home and the best analysis on the website. And we exhibit thought -provoking content from all over BBC Sounds and Iplayer. You can send us your feedback in the Dextth section by clicking the button below.