Tech chiefs face jail on child safety breaches

SOCIAL media bosses who repeatedly fail to protect children from online harms will face jail after the Government backed down in face of a large Tory back-bench rebellion.

Michelle Donelan, the Culture Secretary, has accepted changes to the Online Safety Bill that will make senior managers at tech companies criminally liable for persistent breaches of their duty of care to children. Ministers are expected to unveil details of the plan in the Commons today after a rebellion by nearly 50 Tory MPS demanding tougher action on tech bosses.

The rebels – including Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader, and Priti Patel, the former home secretary – tabled an amendment proposing jail sentences of up to two years for tech bosses who fail to protect children from harms such as child abuse, suicide and self-harm content.

After a weekend of negotiations between Ms Donelan and the Tory rebels led by Miriam Cates and Sir Bill Cash, the two sides reached an agreement that targets the jail threat at bosses who “consent or connive in ignoring enforceable requirements”.

Ms Cates said: “We are going to have the scope to address all the harms for children. That is very positive.”