The Online Safety Act is a new UK law that aims to make the internet safer, especially for children. It puts more responsibility on social media companies and other online services to protect users from harmful and illegal content.
Here's a summary of the key aspects of the Act:
- Protecting children: The Act focuses heavily on protecting children from online harms, such as cyberbullying, exposure to pornography, and content promoting self-harm.
- Duties for online services: The Act requires online services to take steps to prevent and remove illegal content, including child sexual abuse material and terrorist content.
- Age verification: Online services that host age-restricted content will need to verify the age of their users.
- Protecting adults: The Act also aims to protect adults from legal but harmful content, such as content that promotes suicide or self-harm.
- Role of Ofcom: The media regulator Ofcom will have new powers to enforce the Act and hold online services accountable.
You can find more information about the Online Safety Act on the UK government website: Online Safety Act at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/online-safety-act-explainer/online-safety-act-explainer and at Ofcom.