United Kingdom
5Rights leads innovation in digital policy, ensuring children and young people in the UK feel safe and empowered online.
Overview
The UK, where 5Rights was founded, has pioneered digital regulation for children. It introduced the world’s first enforceable Age Appropriate Design Code in 2020, followed by the Online Safety Act in 2023, making it a key testing ground for policy innovation and implementation.
“A perfect digital world should be focused on online safety of the content. Every child should be informed about the type of content before they access it”
William, 15
Children’s experiences
Almost all 3-17-year-olds go online in the UK, mostly to watch videos, play video games, send messages to their friends and stay connected via social media. Nearly half of 11-year-olds who go online have a social media profile, despite a minimum age requirement of 13 for most social media sites. While watching videos, children are exposed to many advertisements and encouraged to spend cash as they are playing online games. Grooming cases and self-generated child sexual imagery are also on the rise, especially for younger children. 5Rights works hard to advocate that digital spaces likely to be accessed by children provide them with content and experiences appropriate to their age and evolving capacities.
Our work in the UK
5Rights works closely with policy makers and regulators and leads the work of the Children’s Coalition for Online Safety. We also partner with Bereaved Families for Online Safety to keep children’s online safety at the forefront of the political agenda. In partnership with the London School of Economics, 5Rights launched the Digital Futures for Children centre, dedicated to researching a rights-respecting digital world for children
In focus
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Win for children: UK Government makes safety by design a strategic priority
The UK Government has announced new statutory strategic priorities on the enforcement of the Online Safety Act, instructing Ofcom to enforce safety by design. A big step for children’s safety on World Children’s Day.
UK regulators must unite to close gaps in digital regulations
UK regulators must close gaps in digital regulations to protect children online, focusing on risks from EdTech and AI while fostering a harmonised, clear and coherent approach to digital regulation.
ICO research illustrates risk to children’s data
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) published new research detailing the misuse of children’s data and announced notices to three companies suspected to have failed to comply with the Age Appropriate Design Code.
UK Government must uphold children’s privacy in new data law
5Rights welcomes the draft proposals of the UK Data Bill that strengthen the accountability of tech firms on children’s safety but warns that many of the most problematic aspects to water down data protection remain.