Last week the whole country was left stunned and shocked by the attack in Southport, in which three little girls lost their lives: six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar.
Like many around the country, I am heartbroken and devastated that Bebe, Elsie and Alice have been denied the bright futures they had ahead of them, and my thoughts have been with their families, friends, and the local community during this difficult time.
The outpouring of grief and love is testament to the strength and unity of people in Southport, who are still coming to terms with this appalling tragedy.
But alongside this grief we have also seen a frightening explosion of violence, with rioting and looting in towns and cities across England. Much of it has been fueled by false online accusations about the assailant, his background and his motives – despite attempts by Merseyside Police and other local authorities to correct this misleading information, which has racked up millions of views on social media sites like X and been actively promoted by several high-profile users with large followings.
It’s this ease with which this misinformation has been shared so widely that has me particularly concerned.
As Children’s Commissioner, I’ve heard from hundreds of thousands of children and young people about their experiences of the online world, with many telling me they struggle to know what is real online and what is false. In my Big Ambition survey, children were clear that they expect to be kept safe online just as they would be in real life:
“Restrict social media usage and make it safer to use. More and more younger children have easy access and this ruins their childhood and future.” – Girl, 16.
According to Ofcom, children in the UK are moving away from traditional media outlets like television and newspapers, with less than half of young people aged 16 to 24 (48%) tuning into broadcast TV. Most prefer to get their news from short-form video content on sites like YouTube or TikTok, so information must be delivered simply, quickly and often without the context shared in more traditional news reporting.
At the same time, young people aged 16 and 17 are also less sure about their ability to distinguish between real and fake news this year than they were last year (75%, down from 82%), according to Ofcom research.
With so much information at their fingertips, is it any surprise children are struggling to discern what is true and what is altered?
The alarming speed and scale at which misinformation about the attack in Southport has been shared without limits should sound an alarm with every decision maker, parent and politician in the land – because children are all too aware of the impact:
“The amount of kids that end up having prejudiced views is disgusting just because social media companies and parents don’t do enough.” – Boy, 15, The Big Ambition
“As a young adult I should not be desensitised by the problems going on in the country. Just feels like that the only way to be heard is to riot.” – Young man, 18, The Big Ambition
I have been calling repeatedly for much stronger accountability for the tech firms allowing this fake, often damaging, information to be promoted so wildly. Ofcom is currently considering responses to a consultation on its Children’s Code, an opportunity to radically improve online safety for children and make tech platforms face up to their responsibilities to young users – but there is no time to lose.
Children have told me just how quickly content can be shared across multiple platforms and how little they can do as users to protect themselves from harmful content, because platforms have different policies around enforcement. One child told my office just last month: “When I report something online, they don’t take down the account. The platform just stops showing me posts from them or similar posts.”
Through algorithms that ‘recommend’ content to users, autoplay functions that play gruesome footage without warning and the ability to create fake accounts without verification, much of the violence seen this past week has its roots in social media, with shocking and graphic videos gaining thousands of views. Unlike ‘traditional’ media, there is no ‘watershed’, no meaningful age restriction and minimal control for parents.
Just last month I warned that children are digital natives who have witnessed first-hand the evolution of the online world from places full of funny videos to networks where dangerous rhetoric or irresponsible stunts are promoted for clicks. And yet tech companies continue to downplay children’s experience on their site, even when they hear it directly from them, as they have from my Youth Ambassadors.
Children tell me they want consistency and quality in their education about online harms, including misinformation. They want to feel empowered to navigate the online world with the confidence that it is safe by design.
I am reassured by steps being taken by the government to push tech companies to remove some of the most harmful material circulating online in the wake of the Southport attack and I will continue working closely with them, and with Ofcom, to make sure safety is baked into children’s experience of the online world. We cannot allow platforms to put their profits above protecting children.
The events of recent days cannot be repeated. Social media companies must own up to their safeguarding responsibilities to the children using their sites.
It is always difficult to find the words to adequately express the horror when a child loses their life in such a senseless and violent way – but I am certain that the violence and disorder we are witnessing in the aftermath is not the answer. It only puts even more children at risk of harm.
As a former headteacher I know how communities pull together to provide support and comfort in tragic circumstances like these. Elsie, Bebe and Alice will never be forgotten and nor will the bravery of those who tried to protect them.
If you are a parent or a professional working with children, here is a range of helpful resources to start important conversations around online safety and fake news, including:
