SWGfL welcomes today’s announcement from Ofcom detailing new child safety measures under the Online Safety Act. The Protection of Children Codes and Guidance ‘‘builds on the rules that we (Ofcom) have already put in place to protect all users, including children, from illegal harms such as protecting children from being groomed and sexually exploited.’’
Putting Children First
The measures published today place much-needed responsibility on digital platforms to ensure that children can enjoy the benefits of being online without being exposed to harm. We’re particularly encouraged by the requirement for platforms to adopt a safety-by-design approach, something we have long campaigned for through our policy and public affairs work.
The emphasis on safer algorithmic recommendations, robust age assurance, and more accessible reporting tools directly reflects concerns that we, and many educators and parents, have raised over many years through our training sessions. Harmful content has become far too accessible through poorly managed recommender systems that sit within invisible algorithms. This new guidance that Ofcom has based around extensive consultation with children, families, and experts, reflects a welcome shift towards proactive, child-centred design.
Bridging the Gap Between Policy and Practice
While policy is an essential step, the real challenge lies in translating these new codes of practice into consistent, meaningful action. We applaud Ofcom’s decision to ensure stronger governance within platforms by mandating named individuals accountable for child safety. Embedding responsibility at the highest level is a vital step towards showing accountability for non-compliance.
It is positive to see Ofcom consulting widely with civil society and the public, including young people themselves. Children’s voices must continue to be central in future consultations and implementation phases as they will ultimately be the ones affected by these changes.
We also support Ofcom’s commitment to enforce these measures through fines and, when necessary, access restrictions on sites that do not comply. This further exemplifies that inaction is not an option—platforms must now step up to meet their responsibilities. We continue to stress that Ofcom implements these essential factors as soon as possible – the Online Safety Act may be in place but we are yet to see many of its impactful elements in practice.
What Comes Next?
As the 24 July deadline approaches for platforms to assess risks and prepare for implementation, SWGfL will continue to work with our partners to ensure schools, families, and young people understand what these changes mean and how they can engage with them.
David Wright CBE, CEO of SWGfL said: "Today’s announcement from Ofcom represents an important step forward in protecting children online. We welcome the clear expectations being placed on tech companies to embed safety into the very fabric of their services as well as platforms having to take more accountability for failure to act. We would hope that these measures will be extended into other areas to combat harm, specifically targeting violence against women and girls. At SWGfL, we stand ready to help bridge the gap between policy and practice, ensuring these protections don’t just exist on paper but are in place and available for whenever a child goes online."
