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Written by
UK Team
17th March, 2025

UK Online Safety Act takes effect as tech industry keeps shifting blame to parents 

Today the UK’s Online Safety Act’s Illegal Harms Code of Practice comes into force. 5Rights is disappointed by the lack of ambition of this code and dismayed that it has been watered from the original proposals. As tech CEOs continue shifting responsibility onto parents, 5Rights calls on Ofcom to robustly enforce this code and hold companies accountable for protecting children from harm.

A classroom setting with a group of children engaging with digital technology. Two girls sit at a table in the foreground; one in a plaid shirt is holding a smartphone with a red cover, while the other in a white jacket is focused on her own smartphone. The table has school supplies, including a notebook and markers. In the background, three boys are sitting on a desk, interacting with tablets and smartphones. The scene is well-lit, with natural light streaming through large windows.

As of today, the Illegal Harms Code of Practice under the Online Safety Act comes into force, representing a landmark day for the regime. Services in scope now have a legal duty to prevent illegal harm and activities on their platforms. While 5Rights warned that the final version is weaker than originally proposed, this remains a step forward in challenging decades of tech exceptionalism.  

Strict enforcement of this regime is essential for keeping children safe. Just last week, after the weaknesses of his platform’s safety features were exposed, Roblox CEO Dave Baszucki dismissed concerns, pushing the responsibility onto parents and stating: “If you’re not comfortable, don’t let your kids be on Roblox”. 

Roblox, where children under 13 make up 40% of its total userbase and its core player base is 9-15-year-olds, has previously been described as a “paedophile hellscape for kids” following an investigation by Hindenburg Research. The report uncovered that the platform’s features and functionalities allow predators to “efficiently target hundreds of children”. 

Colette Collins-Walsh, Head of UK Affairs at 5Rights said:  

“Today marks a huge milestone for online safety in the UK which is testament to the hard work of the children, parents, campaigners and parliamentarians who pushed the Act forward in the face of great opposition.  

But as we welcome the regime into force, we are reminded of what we are up against. Just last week the CEO of Roblox suggested it was a parent’s responsibility to keep their children off his service, even as it remains a well-documented risk. Ofcom must not hesitate to begin stamping out this attitude and begin enforcement against bad practice in earnest.

At 5Rights we will be watching closely to ensure services robustly implement these measures. Children’s safety is non-negotiable.” 

As part of the next phase, Ofcom is set to publish their Children’s Safety Code of Practice next month. The Children’s Coalition, led by 5Rights, has laid down the baseline of what this code must deliver for children.