Key Points
- Kate Winslet won the BAFTA Leading Actress award on Sunday for her role in I Am Ruth.
- In the miniseries, she plays a mother whose daughter is struggling with mental health and social media.
- The actor called on "people in power" to eradicate harmful content from social media.
This story contains reference to suicide
Kate Winslet has called on "people in power" to eradicate harmful content from social media, saying parents and families are being held hostage by the online world.
It comes as the United Kingdom House of Lords scrutinizes the Online Safety Bill, which is expected to become law in the coming months.
Winslet won the Leading Actress award on Sunday night at the British Academy Film Awards (known as the BAFTAs) for her portrayal of a mother of a teenager struggling with mental health and consumed by social media in the miniseries I Am Ruth.
"I Am Ruth was made... for families who feel that they are held hostage by the perils of the online world, for parents who wish they could still communicate with their teenagers but who no longer can," Winslet said in her acceptance speech.
"And for young people who have become addicted to social media and its darker sides: this does not need to be your life."
The actor called on "people who can make change" to criminalise and eradicate harmful content from social media.
"To people in power and to people who can make change: please, criminalise harmful content. Please eradicate harmful content," she said.
"We don't want it. We want our children back."
Winslet starred in the mini-series alongside her real-life daughter, Mia Threapleton, who she praised in her speech.
"If I could break it in half, I would give the other half to my daughter... we did this together kiddo," she said.
"There were days when it was agony for her to dig as deeply as she did into very frightening emotional territory sometimes, and it took my breath away."
'It's time the government listened'
Winslet's comments come as advocates push for the UK government to strengthen the Online Safety Bill. The bill would require large tech firms to prevent harmful content from appearing on their platforms.
The Molly Rose Foundation (MRF) said Winslet's speech had echoed the concerns of families across the UK.
MRF is a suicide prevention organisation aimed at people aged under 25, and was established after the death of teenager Molly Rose in 2017.
The 14-year-old had engaged with numerous social media accounts posting about suicide and self-harm before she died by suicide.
During an inquest into her death - which found she had died from self-harm while suffering depression and the negative effects of online content - Prince William released a statement in support of her family.
A spokesperson from MRF said algorithms on tech platforms were pushing digital dangers to children.
“It makes no difference if you are winner of a Best Actress Bafta or the heir to the throne, families across the UK are concerned about keeping children safe in our unregulated digital world," the spokesperson said.
“It’s not only the readily found harmful content that causes concern but also the tech platforms’ algorithms that push digital dangers to vulnerable young people every day.'
The spokesperson said online safety was a growing problem in the 21st century.
“It’s time the government listened to the chorus of concerned parents and delivered an Online Safety Bill that is commensurate to the scale of this growing 21st-century problem," the spokesperson said.
Readers seeking crisis support can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 and Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 (for young people aged up to 25). More information and support with mental health is available at and on 1300 22 4636.
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