Tech giants getting away with protecting profits rather than kids online, warns Children’s Commissioner
TECH giants are still protecting profits rather than kids online and must be slapped with tougher rules, the Children’s Commissioner has warned.
Dame Rachel de Souza believes social media companies are getting away with poor standards of internet safety and wants Ofcom to clamp down.
She has demanded firms consult with kids before rolling out potentially damaging features on their platforms – like AI chatbots – to gauge the possibility for abuse.
She said children are best placed to advise on the likely harms of new technology and warns “we ignore them at our peril”.
Writing for The Sun, she said; “We can’t allow platforms to adopt a ‘wait and see’ approach to emerging technology like chatbots, or AI that creates ‘deepfake’ images.
“How many times are we going to let children be the victims of tech companies’ inability to put protection before profits?”
Declaring kids “digital pioneers”, Dame Rachel added: “Children’s voices deserve to be heard. They are on the front line when it comes to social media. Their authentic experiences bring huge value to the debate.”
Ofcom is currently reviewing its Children’s Code which is supposed to lay down the law for safeguarding kids on the internet.
But Dame Rachel said: “In its current form, this is a Children’s Code that protects corporations, not children.”
Under the Online Safety Act, social media companies can be fined billions of pounds for failing to stamp out harmful content on their platforms.
Dame Rachel said this is a “good start” but said bosses need to further engage with children worried about the online world.
A survey she ran found just a fifth of children believed they were being listened to by decision-makers.
She said: “Tech companies continue to downplay children’s experiences on their sites.
“I want to see this code include a requirement for them to consult with children before rolling out any new feature or product and prove they are safe by design – not wait for children to come across disturbing content before removing it.”