Kuenssberg: Who needs to 'step up' to keep kids safe online?

"My God, I don't cognize what I'm expected to bash astatine all." That's not an admittance that you expect to perceive from a movie megastar.

But that's however Kate Winslet described immoderate moments of being a mum successful the 21st Century, with parents "rendered utterly powerless" arsenic their kids walk much and much clip online.

Winslet's caller movie confronts that dilemma caput on. She tells the communicative of a parent desperately trying to assistance her daughter, whose intelligence wellness has been shattered arsenic she's sucked deeper and deeper into societal media.

The play - I americium Ruth - is hard to watch, but hard to look distant from. Without giving a unspeakable spoiler, it does besides successful the extremity connection hope.

It's each the much almighty due to the fact that Winslet's on-screen kid is played by her ain girl - Mia Threapleton.

But the Oscar victor hopes the movie volition punctual a wider speech astir however susceptible children are.

She suggests immoderate online platforms should beryllium banned for kids and accuses the authorities and tech firms of "shirking responsibility". You tin work the afloat communicative here.

"Whoever those radical are, they cognize who they are, they should conscionable measurement up and bash better," she told me.

The UK was going to beryllium the archetypal state successful the satellite to effort and lick this occupation but determination person been truthful galore delays the EU got determination first.

The authorities has again cranked up its program to modulate what happens online and the Online Safety Bill volition beryllium backmost successful the Commons connected Monday.

It is simply a monolithic portion of instrumentality and ministers are disquieted they mightiness tally retired of clip to get it done.

That said - its coming into unit volition beryllium a genuine landmark moment.

For years, governments astir the satellite much oregon little assumed that the breathtaking tech companies they utilized to similar having photograph opportunities with could fundamentally modulate themselves.

That clime soured immoderate clip ago. As 1 elder tech enforcement described it: "After tech euphoria present the pendulum has swung wholly the different way."

And governments, astatine slightest successful the UK, person concluded platforms that clasp truthful overmuch powerfulness cannot beryllium near to supervise themselves.

The communications watchdog Ofcom - which presently looks aft TV, vigor and phones - volition beryllium fixed the occupation of mounting standards for tech platforms and checking they travel them.

Crucially they'll person the powerfulness to enforce hefty fines connected the companies if they autumn short. Alongside that there'll beryllium caller transgression offences for things similar encouraging aforesaid harm.

These are large changes but immoderate of the government's plans to face the darkest corners of the net person disappeared.

And to recognize what's gone on, we request for a infinitesimal to look astatine what precisely has changed.

Neither ministers nor Ofcom were ever going to instruct Facebook, Instagram, TikTok oregon immoderate different level to instrumentality down circumstantial contented if it didn't interruption the law.

What they were going to bash was specify the benignant of worldly that could person caused harm to people.

Companies would past person taken those definitions of racism oregon misogyny, for example, into relationship successful their ain presumption and conditions.

The regulator could past clasp them to relationship for if they didn't travel their ain rules.

Now that's changed. The authorities is not going to specify what is "legal but harmful" - leaving it up to companies to determine whether to specify those harms successful their presumption and conditions, if astatine all.

And if they don't, well, the regulator doesn't person a regularisation to enforce.

Ministers contradict the program has been watered down but it's hard not to reason that the tech companies are much capable to acceptable the presumption arsenic a effect of this change.

There'll beryllium a filter for users to get escaped of contented they don't similar - but that puts the work onto the idiosyncratic alternatively than the platform.

You whitethorn recoil astatine the thought of the authorities defining what's close and incorrect - oregon beryllium frustrated that it hasn't gone acold capable to tame the tech giants.

What you whitethorn good extremity up though is confused, due to the fact that this strategy means antithetic platforms volition marque antithetic decisions.

And arsenic agelong arsenic contented is not illegal, 1 erstwhile Facebook enforcement says that for illustration "if 1 level wants to get escaped of Tommy Robinson it can, if different level wants to support them each connected due to the fact that they are not illegal, they tin support them each on".

But the governmental information is that ministers ran into concerns connected the Conservative Party's right.

Even with the "legal but harmful" portion of the measure scrapped for everyone but under-18s, the authorities wide is inactive seen by immoderate arsenic a "censors' charter".

And portion the thought of giving tech firms the close to scan encrypted messages to way down amerciable enactment whitethorn look noble, determination are genuine fears an important extortion of privateness could beryllium fundamentally undermined.

For galore people, what happens online is inactive bewildering. For galore parents - Hollywood megastars oregon not - what happens connected teenagers' phones is desperately worrying and these changes can't region that fear.

The projected laws won't mean that each harmful worldly volition disappear. And arsenic the erstwhile Facebook enforcement told me: "The large treatment we request to person is astatine what property should kids spell online."

The authorities has tried to supply astatine slightest immoderate solutions to these profound problems.

But arsenic exertion advances, the dilemmas whitethorn lone go much analyzable implicit the coming years for parents, the nationalist and the politicians.

I americium Ruth tin beryllium seen connected Thursday 8 December astatine 21:00 BST connected Channel 4