As new measures to protect young people online come into force, Peter Kyle says politicians were too slow to act
The technology secretary has apologised to a generation of children who have been let down by governments failing to keep them safe from toxic online content.
Peter Kyle said the length of time it had taken to bring in laws to keep children safe online had “sold a whole generation of children downstream” and that politicians must find a way to act more swiftly in the face of rapid technological changes.
Kyle made the remarks in an interview with Mumsnet, the parenting website, to mark the introduction of online safety measures for children that will put more responsibility on internet companies to protect them from harm. He said it was “the biggest step forward for a young person’s experience online since the internet was created”.
He added: “I want to apologise to any kid who’s over 13 who has not had any of these protections, to parents who have strived and failed to keep their kids free from all this content because we have let them down.”
