What Parents Need to Know About the UK’s Online Safety Act

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

Get ready, today we have the UK Online Safety Act explained. As a parent, you already know that the internet is both a lifeline and a landmine for kids. It’s where they learn, laugh, connect—and sometimes, where they encounter risks we never could have imagined growing up. The UK has passed sweeping legislation aimed specifically at protecting children online that will have global effects: the Online Safety Act.

This landmark law, which came into force in October 2023 but is just now being rolled out, marks a major step forward in holding online platforms (like social media) accountable for young users’ safety. But what does it actually mean for you and your family?

Let’s break it down.

UK Online Safety Act explained! What the Online Safety Act Means for Families

At its core, the Online Safety Act (OSA) is about making companies for keeping children safer online. It requires platforms—think TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, and even gaming sites—to:

• Remove illegal content quickly (such as child abuse images, bullying, or material promoting self-harm).
• Implement strong protections for under-18s, including proactive measures to reduce exposure to harmful material even if it’s not illegal.
• Enforce age restrictions properly, using more robust methods to check users’ ages.
• Offer clear ways to report problems, and respond promptly when users raise concerns.
• Publish transparency reports, so regulators and the public can scrutinize what companies are actually doing to protect users.

Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, has been given new powers to oversee this enforcement—including the ability to fine companies or pursue criminal charges against executives who fail to comply.

The ambition is to redesign the internet into a space where children’s best interests are no longer an afterthought but a legal obligation.

What This Means for Your Child’s Online Life

The OSA is a critical milestone. But legislation alone won’t suddenly make the internet safe. Technology companies are moving slowly, and even the best systems can’t catch everything.

In practice, the Act creates layers of protection—but it doesn’t replace the vital role that parents play. Trust me, as a working mother of two with a day job as a policy lawyer in the kids’ digital space, I wish it did! Even for someone with my knowledge, it’s a lot of work to keep up with everything.

Just like teaching kids to cross the street safely, we must teach them to navigate digital roads, knowing that even with better traffic lights, risks will still exist.

Practical Advice for Parents: What You Can Do Right Now

1. Start (and Keep Having) Open Conversations

The biggest protection your child has online is you. Make it normal to talk about what they’re doing online, who they’re connecting with, and how it makes them feel. Keep the conversation ongoing and judgment-free so they’ll come to you if something goes wrong. I know you may not want to but if you actually play with them and get into it, they’ll be much more open. It’s also been a source of bonding for us in my family to play online games together.

2. Familiarize Yourself with Safety Settings

Most platforms now offer parental controls, privacy settings, and content filters. Take time to explore these tools. They’re not perfect, but when layered together, they significantly reduce risks.

Ofcom’s new guide for parents provides practical walkthroughs you can use: View Ofcom’s Parent Guide.

As far as the parental controls for every platform–I wish there was an easy, universal way to set them up–but there isn’t. Here are links to some of the most common ones where you can learn more.

Roblox Parental Controls. Sidebar–a friend of mine just started here as the new head of parental advocacy so expect big things from her!
Understanding YouTube and YouTube Kids – there are multiple ways kids can engage on YouTube and multiple ways to supervise them.
Apple Parental Controls
Meta (Instagram, Meta, Quest, Horizon Worlds) Teen Privacy and Safety Settings
Snapchat Parental Controls
Google Family Link
Fortnite’s Parental Controls

3. Be Age-Appropriate — and Stay Involved

Even with better age verification coming, remember that many platforms were simply not designed with children’s wellbeing in mind. Think critically about when your child is ready for social media or online games, and co-pilot their early experiences online as much as possible.

Consider talking with your kids’ friends’ parents and all agreeing to delay giving children cell phones and access to social media. There is power in numbers. Organizations like OK to Delay may be worth looking into– it’s a movement to protect middle school from smartphones and social media.

4. Teach Resilience, Not Just Risk Avoidance

Help your child build skills: spotting red flags, questioning information, setting boundaries with friends, and knowing when to log off. We want our kids not just to survive online—but to thrive.

Media literacy is extremely important for young children especially–especially in the online context. The National Association of Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) where I am a Board Member has some interesting resources that parents can check out. MediaSmarts does as well.

Reflections: Why This Moment Matters

The Online Safety Act reflects a growing recognition that children deserve a digital world built for them, not despite them. It’s an important cultural shift—one that moves us from placing all the burden on families toward creating systemic accountability.

Still, meaningful change will take time. As companies adapt to these new rules, parents remain the most powerful filter, role model, and advocate a child has.

In a way, this moment calls for a new mindset: thinking of online safety not just as protection but as preparation. Because the goal isn’t to eliminate every danger—it’s to equip the next generation with the tools they need to flourish in an online world that will only grow more complex.

I plan to write more on this soon…