The Lords Communications Committee has said that, given the urgent need to address online harms, Ofcom’s remit should expand to include responsibility for enforcing the duty of care.

In its report Regulating in a digital world, the committee noted that over a dozen UK regulators have a remit covering the digital world but there is no body which has complete oversight.

The committee has recommended a new Digital Authority, guided by 10 principles to inform regulation of the digital world.

Chairman of the committee, Lord Gilbert of Panteg, said: “The government should not just be responding to news headlines but looking ahead so that the services that constitute the digital world can be held accountable to an agreed set of principles.

“Self-regulation by online platforms is clearly failing. The current regulatory framework is out of date. The evidence we heard made a compelling and urgent case for a new approach to regulation.”

He added: “Without intervention, the largest tech companies are likely to gain ever more control of technologies which extract personal data and make decisions affecting people’s lives.

“Our proposals will ensure that rights are protected online as they are offline while keeping the internet open to innovation and creativity, with a new culture of ethical behaviour embedded in the design of service.”