Children's Safety Threatened by Law Gaps in Messaging Apps: Report by NSPCC
In an effort to protect children from harmful online content, the UK's Online Safety Act (OSA) has imposed duties on popular online platforms, including Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, to safeguard users, particularly children, from illegal content such as child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and other harmful content.
The OSA mandates the implementation of age verification measures to prevent children from accessing potentially harmful content, such as pornographic material, suicide and self-harm promotion, and content encouraging eating disorders. Failure to comply with these duties can result in fines equating to 10% of the platform’s global revenue or the legal blocking of the service.
Recent amendments to the OSA focus on enhanced age checks before children can access millions of websites and social apps, a risk-based and proportionate approach to child safety, collaboration with organizations like the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), and ongoing public education initiatives to prevent the sharing of harmful material.
The IWF, which detects and removes online child sexual abuse imagery using advanced technologies like hash-matching and AI tools, is a key partner in reinforcing digital safeguarding and helping platforms meet their legal obligations. The IWF also runs campaigns like "Think Before You Share" to educate young people and parents about the harm of sharing explicit images, aiming to reduce instances of distributed child sexual abuse content.
However, critics argue that the measures may not make children meaningfully safer online, as children can still be exposed to harmful content indirectly. There are also concerns about overreaching age verification and its impact on access to lawful expression.
Recent statistics show that over 100 child sex abuse image crimes were reported daily during the 2023/24 period, and the Home Office data indicates that messaging services, including Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, are commonly used in child sex abuse image cases.
The NSPCC, a leading charity advocating for child welfare, has urged immediate government intervention and emphasized the need for platforms, particularly those using end-to-end encryption, to take steps to combat child exploitation. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to upholding stringent laws to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse online.
A 13-year-old victim shared a harrowing experience of falling prey to an online predator on Snapchat, highlighting the urgent need for stricter enforcement of the Online Safety Act. The government, charities like the NSPCC and Barnardo's, and the public remain resolute in their mission to create a secure digital environment for children.
The Online Safety Act (OSA) requires technology companies to collaborate with organizations like the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) to implement age verification measures and utilize advanced technologies to prevent children from accessing harmful content, as failure to comply can lead to significant fines or service blockage. However, critics argue that these measures may not substantially reduce instances of children being exposed to harmful content, and there is concern about the potential impact of overreaching age verification on access to lawful expression.
