UK going ‘backwards’ on online safety, Molly Russell’s father tells Starmer

The father of a teenage girl who killed herself after viewing harmful content on social media has told Sir Keir Starmer that the UK is “going backwards” on online safety.

Ian Russell, chairman of the Molly Rose Foundation (MRF), in a letter to the Prime Minister on Saturday, said regulator Ofcom’s implementation of the Online Safety Act has been a “disaster”.

Mr Russell said unless there are changes to the legislation, “the streams of life-sucking content seen by children will soon become torrents: a digital disaster”.

Passed in late 2023, the Online Safety Act is the UK’s first major legislation to regulate social media, search engine, messaging, gaming, dating, pornography and file-sharing platforms.

It gives Ofcom the power to fine firms that fail to meet these duties – potentially up to billions of pounds for the largest sites – and in serious cases can seek clearance to block access to a site in the UK.

In December, the regulator published the first set of online safety rules, legally requiring platforms to assess the risk of illegal content like terrorism, hate, fraud, and child abuse and implement safety measures by March or face enforcement action.

However, Mr Russell wrote that Ofcom’s choices “starkly highlighted intrinsic structural weaknesses with the legislative framework”, and that the regulator “has fundamentally failed to grasp the urgency and scale of its mission”.

Mr Russell said Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg and X, formerly Twitter, owner Elon Musk “are at the leading edge of a wholesale recalibration” of the technology industry.

Earlier this week, Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, announced that it is scrapping its longstanding fact-checking programme in favour of a community notes system.

Mr Zuckerberg said this would focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying policies and restoring free expression on platforms, but would mean catching “less bad stuff”.

Mr Russell wrote that the move was “a profound strategic shift away from fundamental safety measures towards a laissez-faire, anything goes model”, creating a “bonfire of digital ethics and online safety features” in which children “lose the most”.

A Meta spokesperson said: “There is no change to how we treat content that encourages suicide, self-injury, and eating disorders. We will continue to use our automated systems to scan for that high-severity content.

“We want young people to have safe and age-appropriate experiences on our apps – this has not changed.”

Mr Russell urged Sir Keir to reform the Online Safety Act, focusing on stronger regulations, a duty of care for tech companies and putting victim-centred policies at the heart of the framework.

The letter ended: “Too many parents have lost hope that governments will deliver the online safety reform they urgently need.

“Among bereaved families, there is widespread dismay that successive governments have chosen to dither and delay when the consequences of inaction has been further lost lives.

“As Prime Minister and as a father, I implore you to act.

“You now have a profound opportunity, but also a great responsibility, to act clearly and decisively and to show millions of parents across this country that meaningful change is on the way.

“It is time to decisively protect children and young adults from the perils of our online world.”

The MRF was set up by Mr Russell and his family in memory of his daughter, who killed herself aged 14 in November 2017.

A No 10 spokesperson said the Prime Minister thanked Mr Russell for the letter and acknowledged the “immense bravery” of him and other families campaigning for children’s online safety.

They added: “This Government is committed to ensuring online safety for children.

“Social media platforms must step up to their responsibilities and take robust action to protect children from seeing harmful content on their sites.”

An Ofcom spokesperson said: “We recognise the profound pain caused by harmful content online, and our deepest sympathies remain with Ian Russell and all those who have suffered unimaginable loss.

“That’s why we’re doing everything in our power to hold platforms to account and create a safer life online, and victims’ voices will continue to be at the heart of our work.”