A Conservative former minister, who battled with anorexia as a teenager, has urged the Government to ensure the Online Safety Bill protects children from content that glorifies eating disorders.
Vicky Ford, who spoke publicly for the first time about her teenage struggle with eating disorders last year, said it is “terrifying how many of our children are affected by anorexia today”.
She asked the Culture Secretary for a meeting to make sure the Online Safety Bill, which is due to return to the Commons on Monday, safeguards children from content that promotes and glorifies self-harm, including anorexia.
Michelle Donelan reassured Ms Ford that the Bill will ensure children do not see such content.
Speaking in the Commons during DCMS questions, Ms Ford said: “I was a teenage anorexic and it is terrifying how many of our children are affected by anorexia today.
“So, will my right honourable friend meet with me to make sure that the Online Safety Bill protects children from content that glorifies all forms of self-harm, including anorexia and that this is implemented swiftly?”
Ms Donelan replied: “The Bill will ensure that children do not see content that promotes self-harm or promotes content glorifying eating disorders.
“And, of course, the Bill will now be strengthened by ensuring that adults no longer see content promoting self-harm but I’d be delighted to meet with the honourable member and also invite the minister for victims to join that meeting to explain the clauses that we’ve added.”
The Bill will ensure that children do not see content that promotes self harm or promotes content glorifying eating disorders— Michelle Donelan, Culture Secretary
Meanwhile, Labour said the Government’s approach to the Bill does “absolutely nothing” to tackle the harmful content at its root.
It was announced earlier this week that ministers are scrapping controversial powers to force internet companies to take down “legal but harmful” content, following a backlash from the tech industry and free speech campaigners.
Shadow Culture Minister Alex-Davies Jones told MPs: “The Government are making an absolute mess of the Online Safety Bill. After years of inaction, we now know that the Government plans once again to delay this Bill from progressing.
“Their approach would supposedly give adults greater choice online, but it does absolutely nothing to tackle the harmful content at its root.”
Ms Donelan claimed “not a single clause in this Bill is actually changing in relation to children, it is being strengthened”, before adding: “In relation to illegal content, of course that is still being taken down which the honourable member would know if she read the stuff that we have published.
Their approach would supposedly give adults greater choice online, but it does absolutely nothing to tackle the harmful content at its root— Alex-Davies Jones, Shadow Culture Minister
“We are also introducing a triple shield of defence which was lacking before and we have made the promotion of self-harm and intimate image abuse an offence, whilst also protecting free speech and every choice. It’s important that the opposition remember that making a Bill stronger is not watering down.”
More than four years in the making and subject to repeated delays, the Bill will make a comeback in the lower chamber on Monday for its remaining stages.
However, it is then expected to be “re-committed” to a public bill committee, before it’s brought back before the whole House again, in a new form.
Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt assured MPs the Bill will return quickly for their consideration, telling the Commons: “We are bringing forward the recommittal motion. The recommittal measures will come back to the whole House for debate at second report stage and this will take place swiftly, allowing proper scrutiny.”
Susie Hargreaves OBE, chief executive of the Internet Watch Foundation, said it is “important that this legislation gets proper scrutiny, but we must not see a situation arise where years of hard work are wasted”.
She added: “Timing has now become super critical. We have seen children are being targeted and coerced in their own bedrooms by criminal abusers into some of the worst abuse our analysts see, including penetrating themselves with household objects.
“We also know, despite our successes making sure child sexual abuse material is not on UK servers, members of the public are still at risk of stumbling across horrendous abuse imagery hosted in other countries.”
