By Zak Bouqdour

A law that promises safety but delivers loopholes isn’t protection, it’s an illusion.

Every day, we scroll through feeds of disinformation, scams and harmful content – and the platforms we trust often turn a blind eye. Ministers promise safety, yet the Online Safety Act leaves gaping loopholes that can be easily exploited. We’ve seen a decline in political content shown on social media, but I’ve learnt from speaking to people my age (14-16) that 18 content is as easy as ever to access. The government’s Online Safety Act is well-intentioned, but they haven’t gone far enough – and got a few things wrong, too.

The Online Safety Act was written and passed in 2023 by the Conservatives, under Michelle Donelan’s watch as Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, but is being enforced by Labour. That’s important, because this doesn’t just come down to party politics – both governments have treated this law as a solution, when........

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