Jersey must introduce stricter laws to hold online platforms accountable for child safety and improve support for those who suffer harm online, the island’s children’s rights watchdog has warned.
In a letter published this week, Children’s Commissioner Dr Carmel Corrigan urged the Government to “ensure that it is fulfilling its obligations to respect, protect and fulfil children’s rights in the digital environment”.
It last year emerged that Jersey’s Government had turned down Parliament’s offer to extend the UK Online Safety Act to the island in favour of creating its own legislation.
At the time, Children, Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel Chair Deputy Catherine Curtis expressed her “disappointment” at the move, and said her panel would be “seeking reassurances” about what is planned to take its place after the decision came to light.
The Children, Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel has since launched a review to explore what protection children in Jersey have from online harms amid “major concern” around the topic.
One of the biggest concerns of parents and children is online safety. I’m disappointed that Jersey did not allow for the extension of the online safety act from the UK. The CEHA panel will be seeking reassurances about what’s planned to take its place. I’d also like to know 1/ pic.twitter.com/gmgOJBqWs9
— Deputy Catherine Curtis (@DeputyCCurtis) April 22, 2024
The ongoing review is examining the measures in place to protect young people from online harm, looking at regulations that might be applicable to Jersey, and scrutinising whether Jersey is meeting obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child.
As part of the review, the Children’s Commissioner wrote a letter to the scrutiny panel.
Dr Corrigan emphasised that children’s rights – such as privacy, protection from harm, and freedom of expression – must be upheld online.
She pointed to the benefits of the internet, including opportunities for education and social connection, and praised that way that digital platforms can help children, especially those with disabilities or from disadvantaged backgrounds, access resources they otherwise wouldn’t be able to.
But Dr Corrigan acknowledged the “significant risks” faced by children online.
“One of the most significant risks children face in the digital world is exposure to
harmful content, cyberbullying, online exploitation, and grooming,” she said.
The Children’s Commissioner highlighted NSPCC research which showed an increase in online grooming cases – with over 9,000 child sexual abuse offences involving an online element in 2022/23.
The research also found that Snapchat and Meta-owned platforms were the platforms most commonly associated with offences of sexual communication with a child.
Dr Corrigan said: “Children may encounter inappropriate content, including self-harm promotion, and misinformation, graphic violence, adult content, and harmful social pressures.
She added that evidence shows that at least one-in-12 children have seen harmful content online – such as online pornography, content that encourages suicide, self-harm and eating disorders, cyberbullying, and hate crime.
The Children’s Commissioner also pointed to research released by the UK Safer Internet Centre that found “exposure to scams is a regular part of life online for young people” – with almost half of eight- to 17-year-olds (46%) having been scammed online.
“The research highlights that the online scams that children most often encounter are fake giveaways, phishing scams, fake websites, online shopping scams, including fake ticket sales, as well as scams in online games,” she said.
Dr Corrigan also highlighted how children’s data is “particularly vulnerable to misuse”, as young islanders “may not fully comprehend the long- term consequences of sharing personal information online”.
She urged the Government to strengthen protections and align digital policies with children’s best interests to ensure a safer online environment.
The Children’s Commissioner called for stronger regulation to hold online platforms accountable for child safety, better online safety education for both children and parents, and clear reporting mechanisms and specialist support services for young islanders who experience online harm.
She said: “A robust legal framework that prevents online harm while respecting children’s rights to privacy and expression is necessary to support children to enjoy their rights in the digital world.
“Legislation should seek to ensure that platforms uphold children’s rights, including safety by design and robust data protection.
“This must be done in an age-appropriate way with digital products and services tailored to the developmental stages of children, with specific safeguards to mitigate risks for younger users.
“This will also require the development of a regulatory system that will adequately and effectively hold platforms and service provers to account.
“Legislation should also seek to address any existing gaps to ensure offences conducted in the online world or assisted by technology are covered, for example in relation to online sexual abuse and exploitation.”
You can read the full letter online.