Big news for anyone running an online platform: last week, Ofcom published its long-awaited Protection of Children Codes of Practice under the Online Safety Act.
With children’s online engagement at an all-time high, the new rules set out over 40 practical measures that digital services must implement – including filtering harmful content, enforcing highly effective age checks, and making it easier for children to report harmful content.
The Online Safety Act, introduced to make the UK “the safest place in the world to be online,” places legal obligations on online services to prioritise user safety, particularly for children.
If your service is used by under-18s, compliance is no longer optional. Services must complete children’s risk assessments by 24th July 2025 and implement appropriate safety measures by 25th July....