Challenges of parenting in the uncertain age of the algorithm

The Online Safety Act is a step in the right direction, but it's only a step, says Justin Leese, chief technology and operations officer with alternative broadband provider Ogi

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IT HIT me during a quiet evening at home, watching Netflix’s Adolescence. Not as a technologist. Not as someone who's spent 30 years in digital infrastructure. But as a grandfather.

It struck me that parenting in the age of the algorithm is just as uncertain as when our kids first started going out to play. Only now, the playground is invisible and relentless.

The raw, sometimes uncomfortable reality of growing up online stopped me in my tracks. I’ve seen the internet grow over my career. But I hadn't fully understood the weight today’s young people carry as they navigate a digital world never designed with them — or any of us - in mind.

The UK’s Online Safety Act, signed into law in 2023, aims to address that. It introduces a duty of care for tech companies, with Ofcom responsible for enforcement. Its goal is to make the UK “the safest place in the world to be online,” especially for children.

It’s a big step. But let’s be honest - legislation alone isn’t enough. It never is. Nearly a quarter of children aged just 5 to 7 now own a smartphone - with most already active on platforms such as TikTok and WhatsApp, despite being underage. But that’s just the start. Ofcom found that 97% of children aged 3 to 17 were online in 2022, mostly using phones or tablets. For them, the internet isn’t just a tool - it’s a space. A place to explore, connect, and grow, much like the playgrounds of our own childhoods.