Reform UK MP Lee Anderson took issue with Benjamin Butterworth during a tense GB News debate about a recent row involving Nigel Farage.
After he outlined his opposition to the Online Safety Bill, Farage was accused of siding with predators like Jimmy Savile by Technology Secretary Peter Kyle.
Asked by Lee whether Kyle should apologise for his remark, Butterworth said: “Maybe he should apologise when people stop saying that Labour were somehow in bed with grooming gangs.”
Lee hit back: “Quick deflection there from the leftie in the corner, please answer the question.”
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Lee Anderson snapped at Benjamin Butterworth
Butterworth said Nigel is “obviously” not on the side of paedophiles and predators, but not setting the boundaries online that the Online Safety Bill has brought about will only serve to benefit them.
“The question is, who would benefit from not having these boundaries in online safety? That would be predators and people who want to exploit kids”, he said.
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“If you’re asking who it would benefit, it would clearly be some dubious people.”
Lee said “everyone wants to see safety for children online” but they have become tech savvy and know how to circumvent online blockages, meaning the legislation will likely not work.
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The Online Safety Act was a hot topic of discussion
“They can find ways of bypassing this straight away”, he said.
“Mum and dad do not know what little Johnny is looking at upstairs. They are very skilful and clever. Once one finds a loophole or a way around, all their mates in their class do the exact same thing.
“It’s a complete waste of time.”
Butterworth said: “Right now, you’ve got 12-year-olds, whether that be by algorithm or on purpose, seeing things that can mess their minds up.”
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Lee fears the use of VPNs [virtual private networks] will not only defeat the purpose of the bill, it could also promote the Dark Web, potentially leading to a rise in nefarious activity online.
“I don’t think we can ever police or monitor the internet successfully. There’s always going to be a way for young people to circumnavigate the internet”, he said.
Butterworth put it to Lee that he is effectively giving up in the fight to ensure young people are safe online, a point the Reform MP insisted “isn’t true”.
“Show me the proof, how is that true?”, he said. “I think we should do our level best to protect young people online but we are never going to win this war unless there are proper consequences.”
“You can’t just give up on something that is such a threat to the social fabric”, said Butterworth.
“What would you do, if not this?”
Lee hit back at the argument, saying he is the one who asks the questions on Lee Anderson’s Real World.
Government data indicates children as young as eight have accessed pornographic content online, whilst 16 per cent of teenagers have encountered material promoting eating disorders or unhealthy body image within the past month.
Kyle described the measures as “the most significant step forward in child safety since the internet was created”, emphasising that harmful content often reaches children who aren’t actively searching for it.
The Age Verification Providers Association has recorded an extra 5 million daily age checks since the rules took effect.
These new investigations supplement Ofcom’s existing enforcement activities, which include ongoing examinations of 4chan, an online suicide forum, seven file-sharing platforms, First Time Videos LLC and Itai Tech Ltd.
The regulator has promised additional enforcement announcements in subsequent weeks and months.
Chris Sherwood, NSPCC Chief Executive, noted the organisation frequently receives reports from children who have experienced sexual and emotional abuse online or encountered harmful content, stating that such experiences can have “devastating impacts both immediately and long into the future”.
He added that the legislation would result in algorithms being redesigned and harmful material promoting eating disorders and suicide no longer spreading on social media platforms.