Media Confidential

Beeban Kidron: What the Online Safety Act gets right (and wrong)

The filmmaker, politician and activist joins Alan and Lionel

June 22, 2026
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This week on Media Confidential, Alan and Lionel speak to politician and activist Beeban Kidron about the Online Safety Act.

Beeban has spent years advocating for children's rights in the digital world and has played a role in establishing standards for online safety and privacy across the world. She debunks the misconceptions around the issue—and explains why a social media ban won’t work on its own.

She weighs in on the BBC’s role, as well as the policy-shaping contributions of thinktanks such as the Tony Blair institute and the chilling impact of tech billionaires. If she were prime minister for a day, how would she deal with Elon Musk?

Plus, what is digital sovereignty? And, as a filmmaker, how does she think AI will affect the film industry?