Global efforts to keep children safe online are set to be bolstered under a new UK-US statement agreed by UK technology secretary Peter Kyle and US commerce secretary Gina Raimondo.

To improve the sharing of expertise and evidence, the UK and US governments will set up and launch a new joint children’s online safety working group.

Currently, there is limited research and evidence on the casual impact that social media has on children and young people.

Research, however, does continue to show the malicious effects of social media on children, from exposing them to inappropriate and harmful content causing distress and mental health issues, to opening up a playing field for predators to take advantage of children’s online presence.

Once established, the group will work on key areas including promoting better transparency from platforms and consider researcher’s access to privacy-preserving data on social media, helping better understand the impacts and risks of the digital world on young people, including new technologies like generative AI.

This is set to build on the work between the UK and international partners to help ensure safety is built into technology from the start to help deliver a more secure digital world for young people.

“The online world brings incredible benefits for young people, enriching their education and social lives,” technology secretary Peter Kyle said.

“But these experiences must take place in an environment which has safety baked in from the outset, not as an afterthought. Delivering this goal is my priority.

“The digital world has no borders and working with our international partners like the US – one of our closest allies and home to the biggest tech firms – is essential.

“This joint statement will turn our historic partnership towards delivering a safer online world for our next generation.”

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said: “As more children across the U.S. and around the globe have access to online platforms for online learning and social media, there is also increased risk to this exposure.

“That is why we are taking the necessary steps in the United States, and with our UK partners, to protect children’s privacy, safety, and mental health.

“We remain committed to combating youth online exploitation and this historic agreement will help us expand resources to support children and young people thrive online at home and abroad.”

The statement outlines both countries’ commitment to ensuring the benefits of technology can be maximised for society, as well as social media companies’ responsibility to respect human rights and deliver safe experiences, especially for children.

Both the UK and US are trying to spearhead international approaches to children’s online safety.

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According to government figures, the UK’s safety technology sector in the UK is second only in size to the US, and companies contributed over £600 million to the UK economy in the last year.

The UK’s Online Safety Act places duties on online platforms to protect children’s safety and put in place measures to mitigate risks. Platforms will also be required to proactively tackle the most harmful illegal content and activity.

The UK government is committed to working with the regulator to get the Act implemented swiftly and effectively to deliver a safer online world. The Technology Secretary met with Ofcom Chief Executive Melanie Dawes earlier this week to receive an update on how the regulator is progressing with getting the Act’s protections in place.

In the US, the government’s Kids Online Health and Safety Taskforce is advancing the health, safety and privacy of children online.

The statement also commits both countries to working with international partners on the joint priority, promoting the statement’s principles and common solutions to champion a safer online world for children.