SOCIAL MEDIA TAX TO SMASH TROLLS
Ministers plan purge of vile online bullies
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BRITAIN is poised to become the world’s safest place to be online, say experts.
The claim came as the Government announced plans to crack down on cyber crime and web trolling.
Facebook, Twitter and other web giants will face industrywide taxes to help tackle bullying as trolls and hackers come under tougher scrutiny.
Schools will also be forced to cover online safety in relationship and sex education classes to try to curb “the biggest child protection issue of our generation”.
The aim is the end the suffering at the hands of sick trolls and web bullies.
All the proposals – which include a code of practice, annual reporting on web safety transparency, and support for tech start-ups to add safety features to apps and web pages – are part of the Government’s hard-hitting Internet Safety Strategy. Culture Secretary Karen Bradley said: “The internet has been an amazing force for good but it has caused undeniable suffering and can be an especially harmful place for children and vulnerable people.” She added: “Behaviour that is unacceptable in real life is unacceptable on a computer screen. “We need an approach to the internet that protects everyone without restricting growth and innovation in the digital economy.”
In the past year, almost one fifth of 12- to 15-year-olds say they have encountered something online that they found “worrying or nasty in some way” and 64% of 13- to 17-yearolds have seen offensive images or videos.
Vicki Shotbolt, chief executive at Parent Zone, said: “Meeting the challenges of the digital age is something parents do every day.
“It is encouraging to see the Government proposing concrete steps to ensure that industry is doing everything they can to support families and make the internet a place that contributes to children flourishing.”