Government to dilute Online Safety Bill rules on 'legal but harmful' content

A coroner's report recently concluded that social media played a role in the death of 14-year old Molly Russell. Despite that, the Government is set to water down rules around content promoting suicide and self-harm

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A coroner's report recently concluded that social media played a role in the death of 14-year old Molly Russell. Despite that, the Government is set to water down rules around content promoting suicide and self-harm

The Bill is scheduled to be presented back to Parliament later this month

The Online Safety Bill will return to the Commons later this monthm but rules on controversial 'legal but harmful' content are expected to be softened.

Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan is now prepared to present an amended version of the Bill to MPs, after progress was halted by two Conservative Party leadership contests in the space of four months.

First published in draft in May 2021, the Bill was meant to be debated in the House of Commons in a third reading before going to the Lords this summer.

But that timetable was derailed due to turmoil in government, which culminated in the resignation of former Prime Ministers Boris Johnson in September and Liz Truss in October.

The proposed law aims to control social media and internet platforms by threatening them with criminal penalties, including jail terms and fines, if they fail to moderate content posted on their sites.

It is believed that Ms Donelan, who replaced the Bill's original sponsor Nadine Dorries as head of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, is attempting to strike a balance between child safety concerns and issues regarding freedom of expression.

During the Conservative Party leadership race this summer, Rishi Sunak voiced worries about the potential for the Bill to stifle freedom of expression, since the Government would have the ability to designate information as 'legal but harmful'.

He promised to amend Clause 14, which would have given social media companies the right to delete offensive comments they did not agree with.

Donelan is therefore doing away with broad 'legal but harmful' rules that required social media platforms to address posts that are not illegal but are dangerous; for example, posts encouraging suicide or self-harm.

Donelan is now conducting a series of discussions with free speech groups, to better understand their issues around the Bill.

According to The Telegraph at least one of those groups is the Free Speech Union, led by Toby Young. Young has previously been criticised for homophobic and misogynistic speech, as well as spreading misinformation about Covid-19.

While the Government is expected to remove the 'legal but harmful' clause from the Bill, children will still be subject to additional safeguards in an effort to keep them safe and to fulfil commitments to make the UK the safest country in the world to use the internet.

The Bill has retained provisions that will fine major social media companies 10% of their annual global revenue if they are found to have disregarded their obligations.

Last month, a coroner determined that social media platforms played a role in the death of 14-year-old Molly Russell.

The schoolgirl, from Harrow, killed herself after watching thousands of posts on self-harm, depression and suicide on platforms like Instagram and Pinterest. Some of the posts were recommended to her by algorithms.

Senior coroner Andrew Walker said in a report sent to the Government and social media firms that there should be a review of harmful online content, which should consider age-specific content, the use of algorithms, and advertising to children.

Mr Walker also expressed his worry about the fact that guardians or parents are unable to examine the content that children are viewing.