Reining in the online world How the proposals compare with other countries’ efforts

The Government says its online harms White Paper proposes the “first online safety laws of their kind” in the world.

So how does the duty of care model compare to the efforts of other countries to rein in the tech giants? Australia

One of the first democratic countries to crack down on social media with an act to enhance online safety in 2015, after outrage over the death of Charlotte Dawson, a 44-year-old television presenter who took her own life after suffering a sustained campaign of cyber bullying on Twitter.

The new law created the role of an esafety commissioner, with the power to demand social media firms take down abusive posts and fine those who do not comply up to 525,000 Australian dollars (£288,000). Germany

Stringent laws were passed in January last year to ensure tech giants rapidly remove hate speech and other harmful material on pain of heavy fines. The Network Enforcement Act was introduced after politicians become frustrated with the efforts of firms to stamp out fake news.

Under the act companies must remove posts within 24 hours of being made aware of them or face fines of up to €50m (£43m). In cases where the illegality of the material is less clear, the tech firms have a week to take them down.

More than 150,000 posts were removed last year. United States

Ed Markey, a Democratic senator, has introduced proposals for an act to stop companies using persuasive design features to keep children glued to their screens. It would also limit the amount of advertising that appears in front of minors.

Although not as far-reaching as the UK plans, any changes in the US could have profound implications for the Silicon Valley tech giants, prompting fundamental changes to apps and services.