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Keeping Children Safe Online?

Tuesday 19th August, 2025

The Online Safety Act, passed in the UK in 2023, is a significant piece of legislation designed to make the internet a safer place, particularly for children and vulnerable users. It places new responsibilities on tech companies and online platforms to protect users from harmful content, such as terrorist content, cyberbullying, and self-harm and eating disorder promotion, and to protect children from age-inappropriate sexual material.

Under the Act, companies like social media networks (such as Meta, X, and Tik Tok), search engines (such as Google and Bing), and messaging services (such as WhatsApp, Telegram, and Skype) must take 'proportionate' steps to reduce the risks posed by harmful content.

This includes:

• Implementing content moderation systems and changing the algorithms in children's feeds to filter out harmful content
• Improving age verification methods
• Removing identified harmful material quickly and supporting children who have been exposed to it
• Providing more transparent reporting tools
• Identifying a named person who is 'accountable for children's safety' and regularly reviewing how they are managing risks

Tech companies that fail to comply could face hefty fines from the UK’s communications regulator, Ofcom, which has been granted new enforcement powers.

Why Do We Need an Online Safety Act?

The Online Safety Act was implemented in the UK to address growing concerns about harmful and illegal content on the internet. As online platforms became a central part of daily life - especially for children and teenagers - so did the risks associated with them. The government introduced the Act to ensure that tech companies take more responsibility for keeping users safe.

According to Ofcom, children aged 8 to 17 spend between 2 and 5 hours online per day, and nearly every child over 12 has a mobile phone and almost all of them watch videos on platforms, such as YouTube or TikTok.

The Children's Commissioner said that half of the 13-year-olds her team surveyed reported seeing 'hardcore, misogynistic' pornographic material on social media sites. Children also said material about suicide self-harm and eating disorders was 'prolific' and that violent content was 'unavoidable'.

Praise and Controversy

The Act has sparked both praise and controversy. Supporters argue that it is a much-needed step to curb online abuse and protect users. Critics, however, raise concerns about privacy, censorship, and the technical feasibility of monitoring encrypted messages.

According to the BBC, a number of campaigners want to see even stricter rules for tech firms, and some want under-16s banned from social media completely.

The NSPCC argues that the law still does not provide enough protection around private messaging apps, which continue to pose an 'unacceptable, major risk to children'.

On the other side of the argument, privacy campaigners say that the new rules threaten users' freedom and age verification methods are invasive, and put personal information at risk of security breaches.

Campaigners on both sides have also pointed out that children are a lot more tech savvy than adults and can easily find ways around age verification checks in the UK.

If you would like to learn more about safeguarding children, you may wish to take our short courses on Safeguarding Children and Keeping Children Safe Online.

Use code: SAFEONLINE50 for 50% off any safeguarding course until the end of September 2025.