New obligations for social media companies as Tories confirm online safety bill shake-up

Web giants will be forced to strengthen protections for young people, according to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport - but a clause key was dropped often backlash

The Online Safety Bill returns to Parliament next week (

Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto

Tory rebels have forced the government to drop a curb on 'legal but harmful' content as part of an impending overhaul of web laws.

An overhaul of the Online Safety Bill will force social media companies to step up child protections.

But ministers gave in to demands from backbenchers and campaigners to drop plans to ban the availability of material which, while not illegal, could be seen as harmful.

However, communications "that encourage serious self-harm" will become illegal, it has been confirmed.

Earlier the government said the change was influenced by the case of Molly Russell - the 14-year-old girl who took her own life in November 2017 after viewing material about suicide and self-harm on Instagram and Pinterest.

Receive a daily morning political briefing straight to your inbox. Sign up for the free Mirror Politics newsletter

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said: "Any incentives for social media companies to excessively remove people's lawful online content will be removed from the Online Safety Bill .

Molly Russell tragically took her own life - prompting her family to campaign for better internet safety (

Picture:

PENNSYLVANIA)

"Companies will still have to protect children and remove content that is illegal or prohibited in their terms of service, but the bill will no longer define the specific types of legal content that companies must address."

Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan said: 'Unregulated social media has harmed our children for too long and it must stop.

“I will introduce a strengthened online safety bill to Parliament that will allow parents to see and act on the dangers that the sites pose to young people.

“It is also free from any threat that tech companies or future governments might use the laws as a license to censor legitimate opinions.