Strategic Intelligence: Online Safety for Children

Evidence of the harmful effects of online activity on young people has become overwhelming. It reveals a sharp rise in problematic social media use among adolescents, leading to them experiencing negative consequences. It also shows young people increasingly being exposed to a wide range of harmful material, from pornography to suicide and self-harm content, discriminatory abuse, and hate speech.

Key Highlights

• There has never been a broader international consensus on the need to ensure online safety, with a special focus on the impact on the most vulnerable categories of users, including children. This has prompted a spate of legislative initiatives worldwide.
• In the UK, the Online Safety Act, which will be fully implemented by 2026, requires platforms to remove harmful content, especially concerning minors, and implement age verification for adult content. The EU Digital Services Act, which came into force in 2024, regulates moderation through risk assessments and reporting requirements. Australia has gone as far as banning children under 16 from social media platforms. For each of these laws, companies will face hefty fines if they are not compliant.

Scope

• The analyst’s framework for children’s online safety comprises four categories: online platforms, online harms for children, risk factors, and risk mitigation actions.
• The online platforms covered by this report include social networks, discussion forums, messaging services, media sharing sites, and gaming platforms.

Reasons to Buy

• Online safety for children is emerging as a key area of regulation worldwide. As different jurisdictions put legislation in place to protect children from the harmful effects of digital platforms, Big Tech will be the primary target of regulation. This report provides an overview of this topical theme, including analysis of the likely primary and secondary targets of regulation.