Humza Yousaf deserves credit for convincing the UK Government to re-examine its legislation on protecting people from harm on the internet.
The First Minister branded the Online Safety Bill as confusing and needing to be redefined. The Bill, reintroduced last year, is a proposal for legislation that aims to keep online platforms free of illegal and harmful material.
It follows the Record’s campaign, Our Kids... Our Future, which calls for an end to the sharing of violent videos featuring youths attacking each other.
Tech giants like Facebook and YouTube are simply too slow in removing harmful content before it can clock up millions of views.
Real progress has been made as politicians speak up in favour of the Record’s campaign. But the proposals from the UK Government don’t go far enough and will barely scratch the surface of this problem.
Social media giants should be told there is simply no excuse for violent videos involving children.
The longer such content stays online, the more it encourages others to consider copycat attacks.
The UK Government has for too long adopted a hands-off approach when it comes to the American tech giants.
They have blindly accepted arguments from the likes of Facebook that it is simply a content platform and can’t fully control what is posted by its users.
But such excuses no longer wash.
When almost all teenagers have smartphones with a camera, clear rules and boundaries need to be established.
Ministers must take tough action.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our newsletter here.
