Why the Crime and Policing Bill must go further to protect children online
Today the Crime and Policing Bill returns to Parliament, with a number of amendments due for debate that aim to tackle some of the most harmful risks children are facing online today. Some of these are directly related to my own work on the scale and severity of emerging threats online: regulating violent pornography and banning nudification tools. The evidence is clear – children are exposed to serious harms online long before they turn 18. The tabled amendments […]
A new youth advisory board to help shape online safety
Over the last four years the Children’s Commissioner has heard from a million children, parents and carers. Without fail, one of the most common concerns they share is about growing up in a digital world or parenting this generation’s use of social media. The Commissioner’s recent report on children’s experiences of online pornography, and the […]
“Children are attacking children” – trauma surgeon Professor Martin Griffiths CBE joins The Big Conversation
“The youth voice is critical to designing services that are appropriate for young people. Everyone listens, but can they hear?” Last year I visited the Paediatric Critical Care Unit at Royal London Hospital to see their life changing work and to meet Professor Martin Griffiths CBE, a consultant major trauma surgeon at Barts Health NHS […]
Highly Effective Age Assurance must keep children safe
Earlier this week I published my second report on children’s exposure to pornography, ‘Sex is kind of broken now: children and pornography’. It was written to capture the state of play just before new rules under the Online Safety Act 2023 to protect children from pornography came into force. It showed that when it comes […]
Youth Voices
As Children’s Commissioner, my job is to hear from children about what is going on in their lives, and to tell people in power what they should do to make children’s lives better. I have heard from a million children, and I want to ensure all children’s voices are heard and taken into account on […]
The need for a Screen Free Summer
“The digital age has gone horrendous and will only get worse, we need a safer environment online” – Boy, 11. It is a hard truth to accept: it has become the norm for children to see awful, harmful things online. When I became Children’s Commissioner four years ago, I asked young children about the kind […]
RSHE: a strong curriculum is only as good as those who teach it
A version of the below blog appeared in the Daily Telegraph on July 15. It is a hard truth to accept: it is normal for children to see awful, scary things online – and as adults, we have the task of protecting them. That includes talking to them about the things they see, reassuring them […]
Children need to be kept safe online, it is our responsibility to protect them
An abridged version of the below blog appeared in the BMJ on April 10. Throughout my time as Children’s Commissioner, I have heard from a million children and young people about their hopes, ambitions, and concerns. An issue which frequently comes up in these conversations is how young people can spend time online safely and […]
Press Notice: Most headteachers restrict mobile phones in school hours – but major new survey shows online harms still among their biggest concerns
The vast majority of schools in England have policies in place that stop children using their phones during the school day, a major new survey shows. The first data from the Children’s Commissioner’s School and College Survey reveals 90% of secondary schools and 99.8% of primary schools already have policies in place that stop the […]
The Big Conversation: Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom Chief Executive
As Children’s Commissioner, I have spoken to hundreds of thousands of children about the online world and the impact this has on their daily lives. This ranges from what they like to do online, to how long they spend online and the kind of content they come across. It was clear from The Big Ambition […]
Protecting children online: Why we need to act now to keep children safe from online dangers
An abridged version of the below blog appeared in The Sun’s Fab Daily column on September 7th. As Children’s Commissioner I’ve heard from more than a million young people and been utterly shocked to hear from primary school aged children that they’ve seen extreme content online like porn, violence and other inappropriate content. Children across […]
The Children’s Commissioner’s view on artificial intelligence (AI)
In recent years there has been a huge increase in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, both in terms of the number of products available on the market and their use by consumers. It is clear there are advantages to the use of AI, but there is still so much that is not yet […]
Archived Content
Children’s Commissioner welcomes findings that 75% of people think impact of sexting and pornography should be taught in schools
Unfortunately, many children are exposed to images and content that are inappropriate for them to see.
The impact of online pornography on children and young people
A quantitative and qualitative examination of the impact of online pornography on the values, attitudes, beliefs and behaviours of children and young people, commissioned by the Children’s Commissioner for England and the NSPCC and carried out by Middlesex University.
Anne Longfield’s comment on the Government’s consultation on implementing age checks on pornography websites
Much of what is depicted in online pornography would not be considered acceptable in real life and that is why it is vital that the Government consultation announced today results in urgent action.
Response to List Of Issues Submitted under Optional Protocol on sale of child pornography, etc.
Response to list of issues on the UK’s initial report submitted under the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution, and child pornography
Briefing on the full Government response to the Online Harms White Paper
Three years since the publication of a Green Paper, and over 18 months since a White Paper, the Government has announced its final plans for a new Online Safety Bill. The Children’s Commissioner welcomes this groundbreaking legislation, which is a significant step forward in combatting online harms. There is now much work to be done […]
Six key priorities for after the general election: What should a new government do for children and young people?
With the delivery of the final Budget of the current government last Wednesday and less than 50 days to go until the General Election on 7 May, my thoughts, like many other,s are inevitably turning to what might happen after.
Anne Longfield: Why is PSHE so important?
What is PSHE and why is it so important?
Anne Longfield: My first week as Children’s Commissioner and my immediate priorities
It’s the end of my first week as Children’s Commissioner for England and what a fantastic week it has been! I am determined to use my six year term to make the country a better place for all children and young people to grow up in. I will be drawing on my 30 years’ experience campaigning […]
Submission to Pre-Sessional Working Group of the UNCRC
Submission to the pre-sessional working group of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’s implementation of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography
Basically Porn is Everywhere
A Rapid Evidence Assessment on the Effects that Access and Exposure to Pornography has on Children and Young People