Final call for evidence in Online Harms review
Scrutiny
6 June 2025
The Children, Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel is reaching the final stages of its evidence-gathering for its review into what protections children in Jersey have from online harms.Islanders and interested parties can still submit evidence to form part of the Review. The Panel is expected to release its report later this summer which will include a series of recommendations to Ministers.
To date, the Panel has held four Public Hearings with the Ministers for Sustainable Economic Development, Children and Families, Education and Lifelong Learning and Justice and Home Affairs. There are two Public Hearings still to take place as part of this Review on the following dates:
- Monday 7 July – 9.30am-10.30am with the Information Commissioner
- Wednesday 16 July – 9.30am-10.30am with the Children’s Commissioner
The Review’s main objective has been to establish what is considered good practice with regards to the safeguarding of children within the digital world and to consider Jersey’s position within this. This has included reviewing:
- Current legislation,
- Government policy,
- The role of internet service providers and social media platforms, and
- The role of education, family and culture.
‘Two key themes that have consistently been raised – by parents, teachers and Ministers – have been the use of mobile phones in schools and the growing prevalence of virtual private networks (VPNs). We have been pleased to hear that new legislation to strengthen our online safety laws are being drafted and that there appears to be a more co-ordinated Ministerial approach to this issue. However, we remain unconvinced that attempting to separate ourselves from the UK and its Online Safety Bill is the right course of action.
‘Keeping our children safe is becoming an increasingly difficult task in the ever-evolving online world and we would encourage anyone interested in this area to write to the Panel and help inform our Review. It is crucial that our report and recommendations to Ministers are as strong and informed as they can be, and public submissions will help with that.’
The deadline for making submissions to the Panel is Friday 13 June. To share your thoughts about the online safety of children, please email scrutiny@gov.je.
All submissions made to the Panel as part of the Review can be found HERE. Recordings of the Public Hearings can be watched back on the States Assembly website HERE.
For more information about the Panel’s review and the Terms of Reference, visit the States Assembly website.
