Campaigners urge government to move quickly on child internet safety laws

Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleBereaved parents, including Ian Russell whose daughter Molly died in 2017 after viewing harmful content, have urged the government to take urgent action on social media harms. Following a meeting with the Prime Minister, campaigners were told that new measures to protect young people online would be announced within weeks, not months. The government's online safety consultation, Growing Up In The Online World, closed with over 80,000 responses and is considering options such as banning under-16s from social media or imposing curfews. Ian Russell argued against a blanket ban, instead advocating for an end to engagement-based algorithms, infinite scrolling, disappearing messages, and preventing strangers from contacting children online. The Education Committee recently recommended a statutory ban on social media for under-16s, while a Barnardo's survey highlighted widespread online misogyny and exposure to harmful content among young people. In fullMolly Russell’s bereaved father demands government makes internet ‘as safe as possible’Thank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

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