Source · Select Committees · Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 14
14
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Despite the number of controls in place on social media platforms, users continuously experience content...
Recommendation
Despite the number of controls in place on social media platforms, users continuously experience content that, by the platforms’ own admission, shouldn’t be accessible. We 44 Changing the perfect picture: an inquiry into body image recommend that the Government should ensure that social media companies enforce their advertising rules and community guidelines and introduce strong sanctions for failing to do so, including but not limited to, significant fines.
Paragraph Reference:
114
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
In the case of advertising, the ASA sets out the advertising rules for social media companies (and all other actors who advertise online) through their CAP codes. These codes form a self-regulatory framework that hold the advertising sector to account. The ASA have been proactive to update their codes to tackle new challenges as posed by the likes of social media. The Government will continue to work closely with them as the regulator of online advertising. Following a call for evidence last year, the Government’s work on the Online Advertising Programme will resume shortly with a planned consultation before the end of the year. This work will be focused on addressing harms caused within the content and/or placement of advertising online, and will consider the roles and responsibilities of different actors involved in the delivery of advertising online, including online platforms. In the case of user generated content, as per the answer to recommendation 13, please note that, under the new Online Safety legislation, companies that operate Category 1 services will be required to set out their terms of service for material that is harmful. They will be required to make these terms of service both clear and accessible and to apply these terms consistently. Ofcom will have a robust suite of enforcement powers available to use against companies who fail to fulfil their new duties, including those relating to legal but harmful content. Ofcom will be able to: (1) Require companies to take specific steps to come into compliance (and improve outcomes for users); (2) Issue fines up to £18m or 10% of qualifying annual global turnover, whichever is higher; and (3) Apply to the courts for business disruption measures in the most serious cases of user harm, which either: Ȥ limit the commercial viability of a non-compliant company providing services in the UK, e.g. requiring key third party providers to withdraw their services from the non-compliant service (e.g. payment services or ad networks); or Ȥ significantly impede access to non-compliant services in the UK, e.g. requiring internet infrastructure providers to block access to non- compliant services.