The Government's draft Online Safety Bill risks fundamentally failing to protect children from online abuse, the NSPCC and a Stevenage mum devoted to safeguarding children from sexual predators have warned.

The draft Bill outlines new internet laws to protect children online and tackle some of the worst abuse on social media, including racist hate crimes.

However, the NSPCC says it risks not effectively tackling child sexual abuse at an early stage and failing to place enough responsibility on tech firms.

The children's charity says the Bill also risks being undermined by ineffective enforcement powers that fail to hold senior managers accountable for decisions on whether their products are safe and only holding limited criminal sanctions in reserve.

Stevenage's Marilyn Hawes, founder of Freedom from Abuse - an organisation which aims to prevent child sex abuse through education and training - agrees the proposed new laws do not go far enough.

She said: "We whole-heartedly agree with the issues highlighted by the NSPCC.

"During lockdown has seen a perfect storm of all abuse.

"These tech giants must be brought to account, and those who continue to release dangerous apps where children are easily accessed. Only Fans, Omegle, Among Us and Avakin Life are all accessible through public chats. However, whoever has the broadband contract is legally responsible for the content of communication."

Marilyn urges parents to only allow their children access to online devices in communal areas of the home, such as the living room, where content can be monitored.

She said: "Parents must take responsibility to overview their child."

Sir Peter Wanless, NSPCC's chief executive, said: “Government has the opportunity to deliver a transformative Online Safety Bill if they choose to make it work for children and families, not just what’s palatable to tech firms.

“The ambition to achieve safety by design is the right one, but this landmark piece of legislation risks falling short."

The NSPCC says online sex crimes against children recorded by police in England and Wales rose to 17,699 between April and September last year, compared to 15,183 during the same period in 2019.