EU law forces social media firms to remove child abuse

Under new duty of care laws, all social media companies will be required by law to proactively remove child abuse content and private messaging.

EU has gone further than the UK in legislation, compelling platforms to use technology such as DNA scanning to find and remove child abuse. If the social media companies fail to do so or breach the law, they could face fines up to 6 per cent of their global turnover and have their services closed for up to four weeks.

Online safety laws like these are also being introduced across the pond by the US federal government. At the moment, the United Kingdom's Online Safety Bill does not allow Ofcom to create a code of practice that requires the use of proactive technology.

However, the UK is proposing more punitive penalties for social media firms that breach their duty of care, compared to EU legislation. The proposal will include fines up to 10 per cent of their global turnover, criminal prosecution, and blocks on access to UK users if they fail to work with Ofcom.

The NSPCC sees the moves as important because the companies will have no way to escape legislation. Head of child safety online at the NSPCC, Andy Burrows, said: "This is an impressively bold and ambitious proposal to systemically prevent avoidable child abuse and grooming, which is taking place at record levels."

Mr Burrows added: "If approved, it will place a clear requirement on platforms to combat abuse wherever it takes place, including in private messaging where children are at greatest risk. Putting a duty on app stores to identify children and prevent them from downloading apps where there is a high risk of grooming will focus company minds on ensuring the problem is tackled on their platforms. This ground-breaking proposal could set the standard for regulation that balances the fundamental rights of all internet users while prioritising child protection."

Tech Companies including Meta, Google and Apple will be required to vet apps for child abuse risks. Age assurance measures are to be put in place to prevent children from downloading apps that may expose them to grooming. 

PM Law 

Sheffield Solicitors