Consultation: Protecting children from harms online - Ofcom

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Cymraeg

Online safety Protecting children Consultations and statements

Published: 8 May 2024

Consultation closes: 17 July 2024

Status: Closed (pending statement)

Last updated: 25 November 2024

This is the second major consultation that Ofcom, as regulator of the Online Safety Act, will publish as part of our work to establish the new regulations.

This consultation focuses on our proposals for how internet services that enable the sharing of user-generated content ('user-to-user services') and search services should approach their new duties relating to content that is harmful to children.

We cover:

how to assess if your service is likely to be accessed by children;
the causes and impacts of harms to children;
how services should assess and mitigate the risks of harms to children;

Our proposals reflect research we have carried out, as well as evidence gathered through extensive engagement with industry and other experts.

Main documents

Summary of our consultation

Crynodeb o’n hymgynghoriad

Proposed Codes at a glance

Cipolwg ar y codau arfaethedig

Vol 1 - Overview, scope and regulatory approach

Vol 2 - Identifying the services children are using

Vol 3 - The causes and impacts of harms to children

Vol 4 - Assessing the risks of harms to children online

Vol 5 - What should services do to mitigate the risks of online harms to children?

A1-A4 - Responding to this consultation

A5 - Draft Children's Access Assessments Guidance

A6 - Draft Children's Risk Assessment Guidance (including Children's Risk Profiles)

A7 - Draft Children's Safety Code: user-to-user services

A8 - Draft Children's Safety Code: search services

A9 - Proposed addenda to illegal codes

A10-A15 - Other Annexes

Large services guidance

Ofcom’s engagement with children on the draft Children’s Safety Codes

Gwaith Ofcom yn ymgysylltu â phlant ynglŷn â’r Codau Diogelwch Plant drafft

Responses

Big Brother Watch

Children & Young People’s Commissioner Scotland

Children's Coalition for Online Safety

Children's Commissioner for England

Children's Commissioner for Wales (CCfW)

Commissioner Designate for Victims of Crime Northern Ireland

Common Sense Media

Derbyshire OPCC police

Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG)

Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI)

5Rights Foundation

ACT - The App Association

Advertising Association

AfA Social Media Animal Cruelty Coalition

Age Check Certification Scheme

Association of Police & Crime Commissioners

Greater Manchester Combined Authority

Health Professionals for Safer Screens

Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation

Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)

Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)

Integrity Institute

International Justice Mission

Internet Matters

Internet Society & Internet Society UK England Chapter

Internet Watch Foundation (IWF)

Islington Headteachers' Network (1)

Islington Headteachers' Network (2)

Kooth Digital Health

Marie Collins Foundation

Meta Platforms Inc. & WhatsApp LLC

Free Dating Limited

Global Action Plan

Global Network Initiative

Ofcom’s Advisory Committee for Wales

Office of the Victims' Commissioner for England and Wales

Online Safety Act Network Annex A - Measures Table - Children's update

Open Rights Group

Parenting Focus

Qoria Limited, Smoothwall

Scottish Government

The Age Verification Providers Association

The Centre for Excellence for Children's Care and Protection (CELCIS)

The Children's Society

The Christian Institute

The Digital Entertainment and Retail Association (ERA)

The Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People (NICCY)

The Online Dating and Discovery Association (ODDA)

Trust Alliance Group (TAG)

UK Safer Internet Centre (UKSIC)

VAWG Sector Experts

Veridas Digital Authentication Solutions United Kingdom Ltd

Verifymy - White paper

Welsh Government

Wikimedia Foundation

Molly Rose Foundation - Ofcom risk mitigation and harm pathways

Name Withheld 1

Name Withheld 2

National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT)

Northeastern University London AI and Information Ethics research cluster

Molly Rose Foundation

Online Safety Act Network (1)

Online Safety Act Network (2)

Canadian Centre for Child Protection Inc

Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH)

Centre to End All Sexual Exploitation (CEASE)

Federation of Small Businesses (FSB)

Name Withheld 3

National Crime Agency (NCA)

How to respond

Address

Ofcom Online Safety Team
Ofcom
Riverside House
2A Southwark Bridge Road
London
SE1 9HA

Email: protectingchildren@ofcom.org.uk

Related content

Consultation: Protecting people from illegal harms online

This consultation focuses on our proposals for how internet services that enable the sharing of user-generated content ('user-to-user services') and search services should approach their new duties relating to illegal content.