UEL research aids new online child safety review

A review of online risks and harms for children in the UK published in November includes research from a leading University of East London academic. UEL’s Professor Julia Davidson OBE contributed to the report from the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), which was led by the University of Central Lancashire. Professor Sonia Livingstone of the London School of Economics also contributed.

The review is an update of a 2017 report written by members of the UK Council for Internet Safety Evidence Group, including Professor Davidson. The 2017 report examined the evidence for online harms to children and provided context for a major government consultation into online dangers for young people. That work fed into new legislation, the Online Safety Act, which became law earlier this year.

The new review updates the 2017 report and spans the period immediately before the implementation of the 2023 Act. It provides a picture of the evidence for child harms and sets a baseline from which to assess any changes linked to the introduction of regulation in the online world.

It focuses primarily on evidence concerning children’s exposure to online sexual risks, in line with the NSPCC’s emphasis on combatting child sexual abuse. It also reviews evidence on two other topics, children’s exposure to other online risks, such as pornography, self-harm and violent content, and the role technology plays in increasing or decreasing these risks.

The review examined studies in the UK and internationally involving children of all ages. It set out the different types of risks and harms children face online, with a focus on sexual risks. It also examined how the design of online platforms and tools can play a part in increasing or decreasing those risks and made recommendations to technology companies and the UK’s online regulator, Ofcom.

Professor Davidson OBE, said,

We first conducted a review of the online harms evidence in 2017 and although recent good research evidence, particularly regarding the prevalence and experience of online child sexual abuse in the UK is lacking, it is clear that children continue to experience online harms on a significant scale and that this can and often does have devastating consequences for the victim.

The introduction of the Online Safety Act is a watershed moment in child online protection but we cannot assume that will provide an effective solution. The impact and effectiveness of the legislation must be evaluated and other important safeguarding pillars including safety by design, educational awareness and safety tech will continue to play an important role in ensuring that children remain as safe as possible online.

The new report also noted the lack of research in the UK into online sexual risk and harm to children since the 2017 report. However, it said that the academic evidence that existed suggested that approximately 1 in 20 children have encountered sexual risks online. They included peer sexual harassment (8 - 26 per cent prevalence) and technology-assisted child sexual abuse perpetrated by adults (5 - 25 per cent prevalence).

The review made a number of recommendations, saying there needed to be more research into children’s exposure to online risk and harm in the UK, an industry focus on platform safety and effective human moderation to check automated decisions. It also called on the government to review online harms legislation on a rolling basis to ensure that it evolves to address emerging risks associated with new technology.

Professor Davidson, who serves as the director of UEL’s Institute for Connected Communities, is internationally recognised as an expert on child online protection and online harms. She has worked in the child sexual abuse and exploitation field with abuse survivors, practitioners and policymakers for over 30 years.