Government is 'not putting children first' when it comes to online safety, crossbench peer tells LBC

10 March 2025, 21:33 | Updated: 10 March 2025, 22:55

The government is 'not putting children first' when it comes to online safety, a crossbench peer has told LBC.

Baroness Beeban Kidron, who is also chairwoman of the 5Rights Foundation, said the Online Safety Act could have been made stronger, but the government chose not to go far enough.

She said tech had been designed as if everyone is equal, with children being treated like adults.

We are re-wiring kids brains in a way that is very negative, she said.

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Baroness Kidron said risky features like private messaging should have been included in new legislation.

"The government's first duty is to keep citizens safe. Children online are your citizens and you haven to acted swiftly," she said.

"There are things the government could have done with this framework bill since they've been in power that they have chosen not to do.

"There was provision in the bill for small but risky platforms to be category one platforms. Peter Kyle stood by Ofcom when they decided not to do that against the will of parliament.

"I, and many colleagues, have made representations about risky features, things like live-streaming, private messaging and so on."

She went on to say: "They've chosen not to put some of those things in.

"There is more to do with this framework and if Peter Kyle wants to bring further legislation down the line I'd like to see a code on AI, a few other things around addiction, I'd like safety by design to be identified and put into the legislation.

She said it's "not too late to change perspective", comparing online safety to attitudes towards smoking.

"If you think about the way the world goes, you have an era where everybody smokes and then they don't object to their children smoking and then they took back 30 years later and go 'wow, did we really allow that?'" she said.

"I think that we are probably 10 years into this story and maybe 10 years from 'wow, did we really allow that?'"

Watch Again: Shelagh Fogarty is joined by Technology Secretary Peter Kyle | 10/03/25

It comes after Technology Secretary Peter Kyle told LBC's Shelagh Fogarty that he is planning new legislation to protect young people online after being challenged by the father of Molly Russell, who ended her life aged 14 after viewing harmful social media content.

He said he would "legislate again", adding: "I will do it swifter, more effectively, and smarter.

"We may have to get parliament used to updating it... maybe two or three times every Parliament to keep pace with change. I'm not going to wait seven years."

He told of his frustrations after if took seven years for the Online Safety Act to become law.

"I'm already thinking about what I do next," he said.

He added that he is determined online spaces become a place that's "healthy, not harmful."