Digital Safety: Children Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for Business and Trade
Baroness Benjamin
Main Page: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)Department Debates - View all Baroness Benjamin's debates with the Department for Business and Trade
(1 week ago)
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Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)
The particular expectation that has been set for industry is in relation to nudity detection, and that technology has advanced substantially. Apple has rolled out device-level age assurance too. This is not about threats to privacy; it is about keeping children safe online. An adult will be able to switch it off if they want to, if they are able to verify that they are over 18. This measure is about keeping children safe. It is about implementing nudity-detection technology on children’s phones.
Baroness Benjamin (LD)
My Lords, it is great that the Prime Minister finally met bereaved parents and acted upon some of their concerns, but a social media ban or restriction is entirely meaningless if the regulator lacks statutory teeth, which has been the fatal flaw of previous legislation. We need an enforceable regime that remains democratically accountable to Parliament, not closed-door consultations or industry-captured advisory panels to quietly water down rules over time. What steps are the Government taking to put in place robust regulations—for example, to prevent children using VPNs to get around age restrictions—close enforcement gaps and stop technology platforms shifting addictive features or constantly adapting their algorithms’ design to bypass regulations?
Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)
The noble Baroness is right to highlight the importance of the effectiveness of any regime; that is the central focus of what we are trying to do to keep children safe online. We need a regime that can be implemented, that can be navigated well by young people and their parents, and that is able to be communicated. That is one of the reasons we continue to support parents in having conversations with young people. The question about Ofcom’s enforcement powers is very important. We have made clear to Ofcom that it has the backing of the Government to take action. We have funded Ofcom so that it can take action and it has already launched 100 investigations and issued many millions of pounds in fines. That is the kind of regime we need. We need a regime that is effective and enforced.