Stronger protection for children: The Online Safety Act 2023 in force from 25th July 2025 

The Online Safety Act 2023 introduces stronger protections for children online, including a legal requirement for all pornography sites accessed in the UK to have effective age verification in place by 25th July 2025. Major sites have agreed to comply using tools such as facial age estimation and ID checks. Ofcom will enforce this duty and can fine or block services that fail to meet the standard.

The Act also requires platforms to carry out risk assessments, apply age-appropriate controls, and remove illegal content such as child sexual abuse material, grooming, and incitement to violence. Platforms must now consider how their design, including algorithms, anonymity, and livestreaming, may expose users to harm. Schools should ensure staff are aware of these changes and review how online safety is addressed through curriculum and safeguarding procedures.

In addition to age verification, the Act introduces new criminal offences. These include cyberflashing, epilepsy trolling, and encouraging or assisting serious self-harm, which are now illegal even if done anonymously. It is also a crime to share deepfake pornography or send false information with intent to harm. Laws on non-consensual intimate images have been strengthened to cover threats to share, and images altered using AI. DSLs should help ensure these risks are understood by staff as safeguarding issues and addressed in training and policy.

You can find out more of the Ofcom website here: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/parents

The Internet Matters website has a useful article here: https://www.internetmatters.org/hub/research/rising-harms-new-rules-why-the-online-safety-act-matters/