LONDON, Oct 10 (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.