UK expert panel to shape online safety policy
Members will advise on online safety, digital harms, design interventions, algorithmic systems, and children’s digital experiences.
The UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has published the terms of reference for the Growing Up in the Online World expert panel, an independent group that will advise the government on children’s digital experiences.
The panel will provide impartial, evidence-based advice to support government policy development on children’s online well-being. Its remit includes digital technology, social media, gaming, AI chatbots, and proposals under the Growing up in the online world consultation.
DSIT said the panel will help identify evidence gaps and priority research needs for 2026 to 2027 and beyond. It is also intended to provide independent assurance that policy options are considered in the context of the evolving evidence base.
The panel’s responsibilities include reviewing emerging data on children’s online experiences, online safety, and design interventions. It will also scrutinise DSIT’s presentation of consultation evidence, identify risks and dependencies, and provide recommendations to inform advice to ministers.
Members will serve in a personal capacity and must declare conflicts of interest. DSIT said it will publish the panel’s membership once it has been agreed, along with declarations of conflicts of interest.
The panel will bring together expertise in child development, psychology, education, digital harms, online safety, behavioural science, platform design, data infrastructure, algorithmic systems, ethics, safeguarding, equality, human rights, and lived experience.
DSIT expects the panel to meet monthly via Microsoft Teams for the initial 4-month period, with additional meetings around key milestones. The panel will not set government policy, publish independent reports, represent employers or sectors, or engage with media on behalf of DSIT.
Why does it matter?
The panel shows how the UK is trying to ground children’s online safety and well-being policy in a broader evidence base covering platform design, AI chatbots, gaming, behavioural science, safeguarding, and lived experience. Its creation also points to a more formal advisory process around future policy choices, even though the panel itself will not set policy.
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