What the Online Safety Act is - and how to keep children safe online

The Online Safety Act is a new law in the UK that aims to make the internet a safer place, especially for children. Under this law, online platforms must take steps to prevent children from seeing illegal or harmful content. This includes things like material about suicide, self-harm, eating disorders, and pornography. Starting in July, websites and apps will need to check the ages of their users and change their systems so that harmful content is filtered out of children’s feeds. If companies do not follow these rules, they could face huge fines or even have their services blocked in the UK.

The law is enforced by Ofcom, the UK’s media regulator. Ofcom will make sure that platforms are doing enough to protect children. Some of the things companies must do include using age verification to check if users are under 18, removing harmful material quickly, and supporting children who have seen something upsetting. They also need to have a person in charge of children’s safety and review their safety measures every year. The law also makes it illegal to send unwanted sexual images online or to create fake pornographic images using someone’s likeness.

There are mixed opinions about the Online Safety Act. Some campaigners think it does not go far enough and want even stricter rules, like banning children under 16 from social media. Others, especially privacy campaigners, worry that age checks could invade people’s privacy and might not work well. Children in the UK spend a lot of time online, with most over 12 having a mobile phone and using platforms like YouTube and TikTok. Many parents use parental controls to limit what their children can see, and there are guides to help parents set up these controls on social media, video platforms, and gaming consoles. However, some children are able to get around these controls. Phone networks and devices also offer ways for parents to block certain websites or apps, and game consoles let parents limit what games their children can play. The Online Safety Act is a big step towards making the internet safer for children, but there are still challenges to overcome.