UK Safer Internet Centre statement – Enforcement of the Children’s Codes
July 25th marked a major milestone for online safety in the UK, as new Ofcom regulations came into effect requiring technology and social media companies to implement robust age assurance measures to protect children from harmful content. These changes are part of the enforcement of the Children’s Codes, aimed at creating safer digital spaces for young people.
The new rules require platforms to introduce highly effective age checks wherever there is a risk of children being exposed to content such as pornography, material promoting self-harm or suicide, eating disorders, extreme violence, and other high-risk content. This applies not only to dedicated adult sites but also to widely used platforms such as Discord and Reddit which are now expected to significantly strengthen protections for their younger users.
This is a vital and welcome move that brings online protections in line with the standards we expect. The changes go beyond content filtering; they place legal obligations on services to take active steps to prevent children from encountering dangerous challenges, misogynistic or violent material, hateful or abusive content, and online bullying.
Will Gardner OBE, CEO of Childnet and Director of the UK Safer Internet Centre said:
“This new regulatory regime means that the protections that we provide children and young people offline in relation to age-inappropriate content are now to be implemented online, and we support this step in better protecting children from harmful content online.”
Just the Beginning
At the same time, we recognise that this is only the beginning. While this framework is a significant step forward, it must be accompanied by ongoing enforcement and further development. Harmful material, including non-consensual intimate imagery, misogynistic content, and online coercion continues to proliferate in digital spaces. Protecting vulnerable users, especially women and girls, requires further measures and targeted safeguards.
David Wright CBE, CEO of SWGfL, added:
‘’While the scale and complexity of online harms continue to evolve, regulation must always keep pace. It is a milestone to see the Children’s Codes enforced, but it must be complemented by further protections against harms (such as NCII) that continue to plague our online spaces.’’
The UK Safer Internet Centre welcomes Ofcom’s commitment to transparent enforcement and public reporting, and strongly support the need for platforms to be held to account in how they:
– Identify and protect child users
– Configure algorithms to limit exposure to harmful material
– Prevent inappropriate adult-child interactions
– Respond to emerging risks such as digitally altered sexual imagery and NCII
As the ways in which young people engage online continue to evolve, so too must our regulatory approaches. Ongoing consultation with children, educators, and safeguarding experts is essential to ensure that the framework remains relevant, effective, and capable of addressing the full range of online harms.
The UK Safer Internet Centre continues to support these efforts and advocate for strong, sustained action to make the internet a safer and more empowering place for all children and young people.