Before You Vote, Remember Reform UK's Position on Children’s Safety

Ahead of the local elections, a very important point about Reform UK needs to be mentioned: their position on the Online Safety Act and children’s future safety. While its success is now apparent, Reform UK have not reversed their pledge to scrap this piece of legislation, branding it ‘Orwellian.’ However, to claim that the act is more about restricting free speech than protecting children is arguably ludicrous and must be called out before it is too late.

Dangerous Intentions

We are now at a point where we should no longer be surprised when Reform and Nigel Farage put forward policies that place children and our diverse communities in danger. Crucially, we must be under no illusion that their pledge to repeal the Online Safety Act is not merely a policy disagreement but a reckless promise that will put children within easy reach of paedophiles and predators — yes, ones like Jimmy Saville. For British voters, this should be a stark reminder and a wake-up call that the Britain envisioned by Farage is not one that the people want when the full ramifications of these proposals are assessed. That’s why when misinformation this dire is spread, we must call it out, for the sake of our people and country. 

The scale of the problem of children’s online safety is clear and unprecedented. Between 2023/24, 7,062 Sexual Communication with a Child offences were committed — a rise of 89 per cent from 2016/17. The question is, while paedophiles are roaming social media and the web, do Reform UK have a credible plan to protect our children? The answer is a resounding ‘No.’ Typically, opposition parties oppose the government by disagreeing for disagreement’s sake, and that’s one thing. But Reform UK seem to have taken this to another level. From tearing up our country and its diverse communities to putting children within easy reach of sex abusers, none of this arguably works in the interests of Britain.

Importantly, behind the shocking statistics in predatory behaviour are real children whose vulnerability on social media is indisputable. Almost half of online grooming offences where a platform was noted happened on Snapchat, while Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and more are equally dangerous. Recently, a 26-year-old was sentenced to life imprisonment after faking being a teenage girl on Snapchat and running a ‘paedophile enterprise’ with around 3,500 child victims across 30 countries.

The Internet Watch Foundation has also found numerous pages online for the sole purpose of showing child sexual abuse imagery, with children as young as three forced into performing sexualised acts on camera. The Online Safety Act seeks to protect children from precisely this kind of exploitation. Yet Nigel Farage is intent on scrapping one of the few online safety measures in place.

How the Online Safety Act Protects Children

When I say this legislation protects children, don’t believe me, believe the facts. Since the Act came into force, the top 90 adult sites saw UK visits fall by approximately 23 per cent, directly protecting the 10 per cent of children under nine, 27 per cent under 11 and 50 per cent who by age 13 have been exposed to pornography. This is because Section 81 of the Act legally forces all adult sites to implement age verification checks for users in the UK, preventing anyone under 18 from accessing harmful content. With 34 sites under review within just six days after Ofcom’s new powers came into force, the effectiveness of this provision has been proven on several occasions.

Image-hosting platform Imgur were set to receive fines from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) after confirmation that users were not being asked for age verification. In response, Imgur decided to block all UK users, suggesting that protecting children from harmful content was never a sticking point. Pornography site Itai Tech are currently under investigation for the same breach by Ofcom — failing to introduce age verification for UK users, but also for breaching Section 102(8) by choosing to ignore information requests as part of the investigation. These cases show how the Online Safety Act is working in real time to protect children from dangerous and unscrupulous platforms.

What Happens if it’s Repealed?

Let’s be clear: if the Online Safety Act were repealed, children would be exposed to predators with no legal protection. Ofcom’s power to regulate sites and fine those who do not have proper age restrictions in place would go away. In turn, companies whose sites do not have age verification would get off scot-free, and millions of children aged 11 and younger would once again become exposed to unrestricted pornography.

At the same time, as mandatory prevention of adult-child contact disappears, online groomers who exploit vulnerable platforms weak on child safety would go back to getting their way. And, as online data preservation measures in child deaths are repealed, predators who manipulate children into suicide can hide the evidence of their crimes. In short, the UK would return to being a safe haven for online child groomers and abusers. And that’s the type of country Nigel Farage is pledging to revive.

In the fight against disinformation is the fight against Farage. Children matter because they are the future. If you’re a parent or grandparent considering voting for Reform in the local elections, you might be wondering, what do they actually stand for? Remember this. Remember the ludicrous promise to roll back on children’s safety. If they can’t even get that right, then what else are they getting wrong?

Krish Daryanani is Chair of British Transport Police Youth.