Government wants more evidence to support its online safety aims

The government wants “a strong evidence base” to support children to have safe online experiences, technology secretary Peter Kyle has outlined in a draft of the government’s proposed strategic priorities for online safety.

The research should “amplify children’s voices in the policymaking process and strengthen the evidence base”.

Ofcom is gaining new powers under the new Online Safety Act.

In particular, the government wants Ofcom to develop the evidence base on age-appropriate experiences.

Ofcom should continue to research new methods for keeping children safe and update the child safety codes as technology changes, the statement said.

In other areas of focus, the government has called for more research to understand how algorithms impact how harmful content is disseminated through the population.

Independent researchers should also feel “empowered” to contribute to the evidence base around online harms, in addition to Ofcom’s work, according to the statement.

“The government wants researchers to have access to the data they need to continue to develop our knowledge on both harms and solutions,” Kyle said in the statement.