Milton Keynes MP champions move to keep pornography away from children online

In her latest video posted on social media this week, Emily praises the Labour government’s new Act for “putting pornography back on the top shelf, and out of reach of children”.

And she claims that Reform UK leader Nigel Farage “wants to scrap the Online Safety Act and put pornography back in our children’s pockets”.

She argues that the Online Safety Act is starting to inject common-sense parenting back into the lives of families, saying: “In real life, a 12 year old can’t go see a film at a cinema if it’s rated 15. Pornography is put on the out-of-reach top shelf in newsagents, and you can’t buy it without ID. Kids can’t buy a video game that is AO-rated (Adults Only).

"But online, our kids can find any kind of graphic or sexual content of any level of extremity as easily as texting their friends.”

Since her election in 2024, Emily has campaigned for increased regulation to tackle online violence against women and girls, and is now taking on the job of making the case for the Online Safety Act.

“Part of the job of an MP is not just to pass laws, but to explain to the public why they’re needed. Online safety is personal to me. I don’t feel safe, ever, mostly due to the harassment and death threats I’ve suffered from speaking out against online misogyny. But if I don’t use my platform to speak out and advocate for stronger protections for women, girls, and our children, how can I expect anyone else to do so?” she said.

“I’ve spoken to parents in my constituency who are scared. Students are making deepfakes of their classmates in schools, and parents feel helpless to stop it. The government is making really positive changes with the Online Safety Act...”

The most recent video comes as part of a series of social media videos in which Darlington has taken inspiration from the Public Information Films of the past, which were commissioned by the UK government and shown during TV advert breaks from the 1950s to the 2000s, warning the public about fire safety, drunk driving and child abuse.

Emily believes public awareness of the dangers of the online world should be as high as the public awareness of the danger of crossing roads, using electricity near water, or running with scissors.

“When I was growing up, I was told repeatedly not to talk to strangers. Now we let strangers into our kids' lives, invisible to us but able to have as much access to them as our kids choose to give. It terrifies me, and most of the other parents I know.”

“My generation were taught to protect ourselves from ‘stranger danger’ by public information campaigns we saw on TV. Some were truly terrifying, and I can still picture them to this day, but they worked. With this campaign, I’m trying to remind parents that we need to protect our children, and just as it did with PSAs, the government should help us do so.”