By Martin Coulter

LONDON (Reuters) - The United States and Britain unveiled a joint working group on Thursday to look at ways of improving children’s safety online.

At the launch, U.S. commerce secretary Gina Raimondo and British science and technology minister Peter Kyle issued a statement urging tech platforms to go “further and faster” to protect children.

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

Hugely popular social media platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat are already coming under increasing scrutiny over their impact on children. This, the first trans-Atlantic government scheme of its kind, will only increase that focus.

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy last year warned that young people using social media risk suffering body image issues, disordered eating, poor sleep quality and low self-esteem, especially among adolescent girls.

According to figures published by the NSPCC (the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Young Children), Snapchat accounted for 43% of cases in Britain in which social media was used to distribute indecent images of children.

Meta's platforms - Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp - were used in 33% of child abuse crimes on social media, according to the NSPCC research.

Social media companies including Snap and Meta have promised to work with officials to protect young users, and say they have introduced new tools designed to protect teens online, including parental control features.

CONTEXT

Lawmakers in both the U.S. and Britain have worked to introduce new restrictions on online platforms in recent years.

In the U.S., two bills – the Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act and the Kids Online Safety Act, nicknamed COPPA 2.0 and KOSA – have passed in the Senate, but are awaiting votes in the House of Representatives.

In Britain, the Online Safety Act is due to come into force before the end of 2024. Under the law, social media companies must prevent children from accessing harmful and age-inappropriate content including pornography by enforcing age limits and age-checking measures.

Companies that fail to comply could face fines of up to 18 million pounds ($22.3 million) or 10% of their annual global turnover, under the British legislation.

KEY QUOTE

“The digital world has no borders and working with our international partners like the U.S. - one of our closest allies and home to the biggest tech firms - is essential,” Kyle said.

(Reporting by Martin Coulter; Editing by Andrew Heavens)