5Rights UK Youth Ambassadors celebrate new online safety laws and call for the next chapter in building a better digital world
From today, it is illegal in the UK for tech companies to allow children access to pornography and expose them to other harmful content in their recommender feeds. 5Rights spoke to its UK Youth Ambassadors about the changes and their vision for what must come next.
From today, websites hosting pornographic content must operate with strict age verification. Tech companies are also prohibited from exposing children to harmful content such as self-harm, eating disorders and extreme violence. These requirements build on existing protections under the Illegal Harms Code of Practice and the Age Appropriate Design Code, which already prevents children from being contacted by unknown adults on social media and ensures privacy measures such a Geolocation are switched off by default. The new measures are part of the Children’s Safety Code of Practice under the Online Safety Act and require tech companies to:
- Use robust, highly effective and privacy-preserving age assurance to prevent children from accessing harmful platforms or content;
- Filter out harmful content (such as violence, misogynistic, abusive and bullying) from content recommended to children;
- Provide children with a clear option to decline an invitation to join a group chat;
- Offer accessible and transparent ways to report troubling content or activity and take swift action when issues are flagged; and
- Signpost children to support materials when they encounter harm online.
This marks a significant moment in the fight for the recognition of children and their rights online, built on years of tireless advocacy by 5Rights, our partners, policymakers, parents and, crucially, children themselves. To understand what this moment means to young people themselves, we spoke to our UK-based Youth Ambassadors. They welcomed the new protections but were clear that the work is not yet finished.
Young voices on progress made
Our Youth Ambassadors welcome the new protections. Hayden captured its significance: “I’m glad they will have to stop harmful content from showing up in our feeds, and I really like that strangers won’t be able to message us by default anymore.”
Deborah emphasises one of the law’s strongest elements: “One of the good things I like about the UK’s Online Safety Act… is the stronger age verification.”
And for Eden, the focus on harmful content restrictions addresses a core concern: “If I could change one thing about the digital world so far, it would have to be tougher restrictions on harmful content.”
The work continues: what young people demand next
While celebrating this milestone, our Youth Ambassadors are clear that more transformative change is needed. Haydn highlights a persistent issue with algorithmic systems:
“One thing I’d like to see changed… would be that content watched by other people does not affect my own algorithmic feed.”
While Hayden articulates both the significance of the current progress and the work ahead:
“Overall, the law is a good start, but we have got to keep speaking up if we want a digital world that’s actually made for us… the law is finally making tech companies to take this issue seriously.
But of course, I think there’s still more to do. Things like endless scrolling, autoplay or constant notifications, these features always keep young people glued to screens, and the law still doesn’t cover them yet.”
Hayden, 5Rights Youth Ambassadors
Our commitment to continued action
Today represents a significant step forward for children’s rights and demonstrates the power of advocacy centred on young people’s experiences. However, our conversations with Youth Ambassadors make clear that addictive design strategies continue to disrupt children’s lives in ways that current regulation does not address.
As Colette Collins-Walsh, Head of UK Affairs, explains:
“This is a crucial moment – the result of more than a decade of campaigning by children, families, civil society and policymakers. But the work isn’t done. Young people have told us that features designed to keep them online are still so disruptive in their lives.
Tackling these addictive design strategies must be the next step in building a digital world that truly respects children’s rights.”
Colette Collins-Walsh, Head of UK Affairs at 5Rights
5Rights will continue to champion children’s rights in service design and looks forward to working with Ofcom and the Government to ensure regulation keeps pace with lived experiences of children in the UK.