Online Safety Bill should not fall victim to the demands of Donald Trump’s hangers-on
The Online Safety Bill should not fall victim to the demands of Donald Trump’s hangers-on. It is evident that the billionaire social media platform owners have tethered themselves to the capricious US President so that they get favourable regulatory treatment both in the US and globally.
The issue of online safety is far too important for it to be bargained away as part of a deal to keep tech billionaires happy. Children’s lives are being destroyed and in some cases cruelly cut short. The murder of teenager Brianna Ghey is one such example.
As her bereaved mother Esther Ghey told the BBC yesterday, “young people are at harm, and young people are losing their lives”. She added that young people’s mental health should not be suffering as a result of what they access online.
The voices of parents and the families of victims should be the ones that the Government gives precedence to. Not billionaires who continue to profit off the misery of young people in this country.
If anything, the Online Safety Bill should just be the start of a crackdown on social media platforms. These companies need to be treated as publishers in law. The path taken by Australia in banning under-16s from accessing social media also merits consideration.
While there are positives to social media, giving people an opportunity to stay in touch regardless of where they are in the world, and it can provide a space for people to hold debates and discussions, the lack of action from the owners of these platforms on harmful content shows that stricter regulation is needed.