It’s now been a couple of weeks since 25 July 2025, when Ofcom officially began enforcing the Online Safety Act’s Children’s Codes. So how is life online for children changing? Let’s take a look together:
What’s Happened Since Enforcement Began?
1. Risk Assessments Underway and Ofcom Is Watching
- Platforms must conduct and record detailed children’s risk assessments and submit these to Ofcom by 7 August, or face potential enforcement action –OFCOM.
- Ofcom has stepped into a 12-month monitoring programme, checking how companies carry out these assessments and keep record and they’re ready to launch formal investigations if needed
2. Age Verification in Real Time
- Ofcom has launched its first major enforcement probe into 34 pornography websites for failing to comply with the new age-check rules-some of which collectively attract over 9 million UK users. Penalties loom large: up to £18 million or 10% of global turnover
- At the same time, age checks are rolling out across platforms: Spotify, Reddit, Discord, Bluesky and even X are introducing facial scans or ID steps to unlock adult content
3. Free Speech & Privacy Concerns Are Stirring
- Platforms like X (formerly Twitter), along with free-speech advocates, argue that the rules are too stringent, especially around age verification’s privacy implications
- Critics are also questioning how consent, encryption, and personal data are being balanced -noting that the Act does not mandate strong data protection for age checks, raising concerns about user privacy
4. Broadcast & On-Demand Loopholes Are in Focus
- A controversial Channel 4 documentary slipped through the system: although the Online Safety Act covers online age checks, broadcast-on-demand content like this may fall under different regulations and is now being examined by Ofcom
So, How Is It Going… Really?
Platforms are scrambling to get compliant-some moving fast with risk assessments and age verification systems.
Ofcom is actively enforcing, testing risk assessment submissions and chasing down non-compliant adult sites.
Families and educators should stay alert, because despite big steps forward, the new system isn’t airtight yet especially around data privacy and broadcast content access.
What Does This Mean for You?
Its important for parents to stay alert. Here’s how to stay proactive:
- Invite parents and carers to keep talking about what’s changing and where it still needs work.
- Share clear, practical updates (e.g. in newsletters or community channels) as new developments emerge especially about platforms that remain concerning.
- Encourage safe by design habits like discussing digital privacy, spotting dodgy content, and navigating age controls.
In short: enforcement is really underway, but it’s early days. This is a pivotal moment, one that’s being built together by regulators, tech platforms, parents and educators.
More information on the changes is available on Ofcom’s parents explainer page here: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/parents
Need more support? You’re always welcome to join our SEND & Home Education Support community, where parents share experiences, ask questions, and support each other.