Duchess of York: New online safety rules won't clean up ‘sewer' of social media
The Duchess of York has said new online safety rules will not clean up the 'sewer' of social media.
Ofcom's new rules will empower the regulator to issue large fines against social media companies failing to protect child users, and to seek court orders to ban them in the UK entirely in extreme cases.
The Duchess said the measures will not 'shield our teenagers' from a 'tidal wave of filth' online.
Tech giants should be treated the same as any other publisher and made 'properly responsible for their content', the Duchess added.
In an opinion piece for LBC, she wrote: 'Last week, the media regulator Ofcom published measures intended to improve protections for children online, including requiring tougher age checks and more robust action to prevent children accessing harmful content.
'But I fear this won't do enough to shield our teenagers from the tidal wave of filth and toxicity on social media sites.'
The Duchess is not the first online safety campaigner to argue the new rules do not go far enough, with others saying tech firms have been allowed excessive control over defining what content is harmful.
Andy Burrows, the chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, which was set up in memory of 14-year-old Molly Russell, who ended her life after seeing harmful social media content, called Ofcom's measures a 'series of missed opportunities'.
The Duchess said: 'This isn't a trivial subject. Our teenagers have become more anxious and depressed. 'There was a notable rise in depression, which started in 2012, around the time many secondary school children started to get smartphones.
'Excessive social media use has been linked to increased stress, sleep problems, and even self-harm. We're only just starting to understand who is vulnerable and what we can do to protect them.
'We do know that in the worst cases, children have taken their own lives after being pursued by cyberbullies,' she said. 'Others have died after dangerous prank and challenge videos have been circulated and apparently targeted at youngsters.
'Let's be honest, much of it is an absolute sewer. People say things to each other they wouldn't dream of saying in the real world.'
An Ofcom spokesperson said: 'The changes we've announced are a reset for children online.
'They will mean safer social media feeds with less harmful and dangerous content, protections from being contacted by strangers and effective age checks on adult content.
'Ofcom has been tasked with bringing about a safer generation of children online, and if companies fail to act, they will face enforcement.'
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Battle Lines: Inside Hamas leader's secret Gaza tunnel
On today's episode, we confront the brutal realities of two of the world's most controversial flashpoints. First, our man on the ground, Jerusalem correspondent Henry Bodkin, joins Israeli troops in Gaza for a rare and eye-opening embed. He takes us inside the tunnel where Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar was allegedly hiding before an Israeli airstrike on May 13th — one that struck the entrance of the European Hospital, sparking outrage and headlines around the world. We cut through the noise and get straight to what really happened. We also discuss Hamas's so-called 'last man standing' — and what his survival means for the future of the conflict. Then, we turn to the pariah state of North Korea. Despite suffocating sanctions, Pyongyang is now in its strongest strategic position in decades, doubling its nuclear arsenal and quietly amassing the world's fourth largest military. How did that happen — and why isn't the West doing more about it? Our new Asia correspondent Allegra Mendelson explains all. Listen to Battle Lines using the audio player in this article or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favourite podcast app. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Spending review now settled, says Downing Street
The government's latest spending plans are settled, the prime minister's official spokesman has said. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to expected to announce funding increases for the NHS, schools and defence, along with a number of infrastructure projects, when she sets out her day-to-say spending and investment plans for each department in Wednesday's Spending Review. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper was the last to fix a deal on Monday afternoon, following public warnings from police chiefs, calling for more money. Housing Secretary Angela Rayner reached a deal with Reeves and the Treasury on Sunday evening. Reeves has loosened Treasury borrowing rules to free up about £113bn for investment in infrastructure projects, but will need to squeeze budgets elsewhere in order meet her own rules, which include not borrowing to fund day-to-day spending. Last week, she admitted that she had been forced to turn down requests for funding for projects she would have wanted to back. Ministers seeking to protect their budgets remained locked in budget talks over the weekend. Announcing ministerial negotiations over the government's spending review had been completed, the prime minister's official spokesman said the chancellor would be investing in public services and growth. "The spending review is settled - we will be focused on investing in Britain's renewal so that all working people are better off," he said. "The first job of the government was to stabilise the British economy and the public finances, and now we move into a new chapter to deliver the promise and change." The Home Office had argued privately that police numbers must be maintained for the government to deliver its policy commitments on neighbourhood policing, but that under the spending proposals this would not be possible. Police chiefs including Sir Mark Rowley, the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, had publicly lobbyied the government for more money in recent weeks, and there were suggestions the Treasury might have "imposed" a settlement on the Home Office. Over the weekend, Technology Secretary Peter Kyle told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg the chancellor was facing pressure from all departments for additional funding. Kyle said "every part of society was struggling" and declined to rule out a squeeze on policing. The last-minute talks with Cooper come ahead of what is set to be a highly significant week for every part of government. Reeves has already U-turned on removing Winter Fuel payments from all but the poorest pensioners, and will now give these 75% of pensioners, which will cost an estimated £1.25bn. The government has also pledged to hike defence spending, invest £86bn in science and technology, and give free school meals to half a million more children. To balance the spending, Reeves has announced a £14bn package of savings in March, including £4.8bn of welfare cuts. However, opponents have accused the government of having the wrong priorities. Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: "They have chosen to prioritise spending on Ed Miliband's mad green projects, on inflation-busting pay rises for their trade union paymasters and spending £100bn a year – five times the police budget – on debt interest payments." Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has urged the chancellor to rule out cuts to social care, which is financed through local councils. He said the government would have "more money in the pot, more growth, more revenue" if it pursued closer trading ties with Europe. Home secretary yet to agree deal days before spending review Spending Review: Massive cheques from the chancellor for some - but what do totals hide? Sign up for our Politics Essential newsletter to read top political analysis, gain insight from across the UK and stay up to speed with the big moments. It'll be delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Congress should think again about foreign investor tax: UK ambassador to US
British Ambassador to the U.S. Peter Mandelson is appealing to Congress to think again about the proposed new retaliatory tax on certain foreign investment in the US. 'I think that there's something wrong in principle that you should punish a country's businesses and individuals in America because you don't like what their governments are doing at home,' Mandelson said of Section 899 of the House's 'big, beautiful bill' to implement Trump's agenda. Section 899 would create a retaliatory tax on nationals of countries that impose 'unfair foreign taxes' on American businesses. 'If you've got an argument with their governments, then take it out on the governments. Don't take it out on the businesses and the individuals,' he added. Mandelson also believes that this new foreign investor tax is 'counterproductive' for the United States. 'If you're creating such a risk or potential uncertainty tax on businesses here, then many will think twice about investing further in the United States. I would ask Congress to think again about 899,' he said. According to Mandelson, both Congress and the Trump administration should resolve these matters by negotiation, and 'not by means of a legislative bludgeon', where he says the 'innocent are being punished because it's felt that revenge is due against a country and it's taken out on businesses and individuals here in the US.' He added that Section 899 also sets a 'very difficult precedent,' and it's better resolved by 'government to government negotiation and by discretionary means, not statutory ones.' The provision has stoked concerns on Wall Street over whether foreign investors would pull out of U.S. investments over fears of retribution from Trump. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
