online harm

The definition of harm included in the proposals is incredibly broad. It includes currently illegal content and behaviour, such as child sexual abuse material, terrorist content and online harassment, alongside legal content and behaviour, such as disinformation, cyber-bullying and trolling. There is a risk that attempts to address all of these forms of harmful behaviour, many of which do not have clear definitions, will restrict freedom of expression of users of online services, including children. The monitoring by online companies that would be necessary to prevent these types of content and behaviour could also be very invasive, infringing internet users’ privacy. There is a difficult balance to be struck between protecting children and ensuring that all of their rights are fully realised online.