ID please: Inside the UK's crackdown on harmful websites

The Online Safety Act is being hailed as a landmark child protection law, but there may well be unintended cracks in the new regulations, write social science experts Jess Scott-Lewis and Charlotte Coleman.

- Jess Scott-Lewis and Charlotte Coleman.

Technology platforms operating in the UK now have a legal duty to protect young people from some of the more dangerous forms of online content. This includes pornography, content that encourages, promotes, or provides instructions for violence, promotion of self-harm and eating disorders. Those failing to comply face hefty fines.

Until now, parents have had the unenviable role of navigating web content filters and app activity management to guard their children from harmful content. As of 25 July 2025, the Online Safety Act puts greater responsibility on platforms and content creators themselves.

In theory, this duty requires tech organisations to curb some of the features that make social media so popular. These include changing the configuration of the algorithms that analyse a user's typical behaviour and offer content that other people like them usually engage with.

This is because the echo chambers that these algorithms create can push young people towards unwanted (and crucially, unsolicited) content, such as incel-related material.

The Online Safety Act directly acknowledges the impact of algorithms in targeting content to young people. It forms a key part of Ofcom's proposed solutions. The act requires platforms to adjust their algorithms to filter out content likely to be harmful to young people.