Next Government must not let internet companies off the hook
Websites and social networks must be regulated and fined where necessary
Under 18s should be given extra protections online automatically



The boss of children’s charity the NSPCC is calling for the next Government to crack down on internet companies who fail to protect children online.

Chief Executive Peter Wanless said the NSPCC wants social networks to be regulated just like other media outlets and to be fined where they fail to protect children.

The charity is calling on Government to draw up minimum standards that internet companies must meet to safeguard children, including requiring sites to be age-rated just as films are by British Board of Film Classification.

And the charity wants social network users under 18 to be automatically offered safer accounts – with default privacy settings, proactive filtering of harmful content and mechanisms to guard against grooming.

It comes after NSPCC and O2 research found four out of five children feel that social media companies aren’t doing enough to protect them from pornography, self-harm, bullying, and hatred on their sites.

Mr Wanless said: ‘Online safety is one of the biggest risks facing children and young people today and one which the Government of the day needs to tackle head on.
‘Whichever Party is in Government after 8th June, the time has come for them to commit to ensuring ensure Britain has the right tools to ensure children are as safe online as they are offline. ‘Internet companies themselves have proven their own voluntary regulations are not up to scratch when it comes to child protection.’

First of all, parents should control their children's actions on the internet. Personally, I am a tiktok user and I see children on this service every day. I know that some of them even buy likes on hypetik.com and I am not sure that their parents know about their children's activity on the internet.