Child safety online Archives | Page 10 of 81

eSafety Commissioner of Australia issues notices to Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite and Steam

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has issued legally enforceable transparency notices to Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite and Steam over concerns that online games are being used by individuals seeking to groom children and by extremist groups to spread violent propaganda and radicalise young people.

The notices require the platforms to explain how they identify, prevent and respond to harms including grooming, cyberbullying, online hate, sexual extortion and violent extremism. They also ask how systems, staffing and safety-by-design measures align with the Australian Government’s Basic Online Safety Expectations.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said online games and gaming-adjacent services can serve as first points of contact between children and offenders in cases involving serious online harm. She said: ‘What we often see after these offenders make contact with children in online game environments, they then move children to private messaging services.’

Inman Grant also said: ‘Predatory adults know this and target children through grooming or embedding terrorist and violent extremist narratives in gameplay, increasing the risks of contact offending, radicalisation and other off-platform harms.’

eSafety said it publishes reports based on transparency notices to provide the public, including parents, with more information about safety risks and existing mitigations, while also increasing pressure on technology companies to adopt Safety by Design. Online game platforms must also comply with Australia’s Online Safety Codes and Standards, and a breach of a direction to comply with a code or standard can attract penalties of up to A$49.5 million per breach.

Compliance with a transparency notice is mandatory. If companies fail to respond, eSafety has enforcement options, including financial penalties of up to A$825,000 a day.

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UK children’s bill advances with new online safety powers

The UK’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill has moved forward with a substantial set of online safety amendments, showing how child protection policy is increasingly being folded into wider legislation beyond the Online Safety Act itself. The current printed version of the bill, published as it continues through consideration of amendments between the Commons and Lords, includes new powers that could allow ministers to require providers of specified internet services to prevent or restrict children’s access to certain services, features, or functionalities where there is a risk of harm.

At the centre of the package is a proposed new section 214A to be inserted into the Online Safety Act 2023. Under that provision, the Secretary of State would be able to make regulations requiring providers of specified internet services to block or limit access for children of a specified age. The text makes clear that those powers could apply not only to entire services but also to specific features or functions within them.

That matters because the bill goes well beyond a general statement of principle. The amendments envisage regulations that could address issues such as the amount of time children spend on services, the times of day they can access them, contact from strangers, live audio or video communications, and the ability of unknown users to identify a child’s actual or approximate location. In other words, the government is seeking flexible powers to target specific design features and risks rather than relying only on broad platform-wide restrictions.

The bill would also place Ofcom into the process. As drafted, the regulator is expected to carry out research or provide advice at the Secretary of State’s request to support the making of regulations under the new power, and to publish that advice afterwards. A separate clause would require the Secretary of State, within six months of the Act being passed, to lay before Parliament a progress statement on the first regulations and a timetable for bringing them forward, unless those regulations have already been made.

Another part of the amendment package would give ministers the power to alter the age at which a child can consent to the processing of personal data in relation to information society services, within a range of 13 to 16. The text also allows for regulations on age verification for that consent, including provisions on compliance, monitoring, and enforcement. That means the bill is not only about access and harmful features, but also about the data governance rules that shape children’s use of digital services.

Also, the bill shows that Parliament has not fully settled the question of how far to go. The latest printed text also includes Lords’ amendments to Commons Amendment 38J, which would require the Secretary of State to make regulations imposing highly effective age-assurance and anti-circumvention measures for under-16s on specified regulated user-to-user services. Those Lords’ changes sit within the continuing exchange between the two Houses, rather than representing a final agreed position. The bill remains in the ‘consideration of amendments’ stage and has not yet received Royal Assent.

Why does it matter?

The broader significance of the bill is that the UK is moving towards a more interventionist model of child online safety, one that reaches beyond content moderation into product design, age assurance, feature controls, and the governance of children’s data. But the legislative picture is still in flux. What is emerging is not yet a final settlement, but a live parliamentary struggle over how prescriptive ministers should be, how much discretion they should have, and how strongly the law should push platforms to redesign services for children.

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Ofcom steps up child safety enforcement with Telegram and chat site investigations

The UK’s online safety regime has entered a more confrontational phase, with Ofcom opening new investigations into Telegram and two chat platforms over suspected failures to protect children from serious harm. The move signals a shift from broad compliance warnings to more direct enforcement against services deemed to pose acute risks under the Online Safety Act.

Ofcom said it is investigating Telegram to determine whether the platform is doing enough to prevent child sexual abuse material from being shared. Separate probes have also been opened into Teen Chat and Chat Avenue, where the regulator says there are concerns that chat functions may be facilitating grooming and other harms to children. According to Ofcom, the providers have not demonstrated sufficient safeguards for UK users despite earlier engagement.

The cases are part of a wider enforcement drive rather than isolated actions. Ofcom has already been pressing file-sharing and file-storage services over child sexual abuse risks, and says some platforms have since introduced automated detection tools, blocked access for UK users, or otherwise changed their systems in response to regulatory pressure. In other cases, investigations have been closed after providers took corrective steps.

That broader context matters. Since the first online safety duties became enforceable, Ofcom has been moving from rule-setting into operational enforcement, testing whether platforms are actually putting in place the systems and processes needed to reduce illegal harms.

In the child safety area, that increasingly means proactive risk management, technical detection measures, and design choices that make it harder for offenders to share abusive material or contact children in the first place.

Ofcom has also made clear that services available in the UK cannot treat these duties as optional. Under the Online Safety Act, companies can face significant financial penalties for failing to comply, and the regulator can ask courts to impose business disruption measures or restrict access where necessary. That gives the current investigations weight beyond the individual platforms involved.

The bigger significance of the latest action is that platform accountability is being judged less on stated policies and more on demonstrable safeguards. The Telegram case in particular shows that even large, globally used platforms are now exposed to direct scrutiny if UK regulators believe child safety risks are not being properly addressed.

Taken together, the investigations suggest that Ofcom is trying to establish a more interventionist model of online safety enforcement, one in which companies are expected to anticipate and reduce harm rather than respond only after it has spread.

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European Commission allocates €63.2 million to support AI innovation in health and online safety

The European Commission has announced €63.2 million in funding to support AI innovation, focusing on health, online safety and broader technological development. The initiative aims to accelerate the deployment of AI solutions across key sectors.

According to the Commission, the funding will support projects that improve healthcare systems and strengthen protections in digital environments. It is part of ongoing efforts to expand AI capabilities and adoption.

The programme also seeks to encourage collaboration between research institutions, businesses and public bodies. This approach is intended to foster innovation while addressing societal challenges linked to AI use.

The Commission states that the investment will contribute to strengthening Europe’s digital capacity and advancing AI development across the European Union.

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Ofcom updates enforcement programme on CSAM risks in file-sharing services

The Office of Communications (Ofcom) has updated its enforcement programme launched on 17 March 2025 to assess measures taken by file-sharing and file-storage services to prevent risks to UK users from image-based child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The update follows its previous report in February 2026.

Ofcom said it identified concerns after two services under investigation redirected users to another file-sharing platform, Pixeldrain. Following further assessment, the regulator found that the provider had not initially taken appropriate measures to manage risks linked to CSAM storage and dissemination.

Following engagement with Ofcom, the provider of Pixeldrain updated its Illegal Content Risk Assessment and reassessed the level of risk on its service. The company also implemented perceptual hash matching to reduce the risk of known CSAM being shared. Ofcom stated that, due to these improvements and constructive engagement, no further action will be taken at this stage.

Ofcom’s investigation into Im.ge remains ongoing, focusing on compliance with risk assessment and user protection duties under the Online Safety Act 2023. Separately, the regulator has closed its investigation into Yolobit after the service became unavailable to UK users, reducing exposure risks.

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IWF and Utropolis partnership strengthens AI-driven child online safety

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has announced a new partnership with Utropolis, marking a step forward in efforts to strengthen online child protection. The collaboration brings together established detection tools and emerging AI-driven safeguarding technologies.

Utropolis specialises in cloud-based filtering systems designed to identify risks in real time, particularly in school environments.

By integrating IWF datasets, including verified lists of harmful content, the platform aims to improve prevention and detection capabilities while helping educators maintain safer digital spaces.

The initiative reflects a broader trend towards combining AI with established regulatory and safeguarding frameworks. As harmful material continues to spread online, organisations are increasingly focusing on scalable, automated solutions that can adapt to evolving threats.

The partnership also aligns with UK online safety standards in education, reinforcing compliance requirements and strengthening institutional responses.

As digital environments continue to expand, collaborations of this kind highlight the growing role of AI in supporting child protection strategies.

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Australia’s OAIC updates the Children’s Online Privacy Code page during public consultation

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) updated its Children’s Online Privacy Code page, as the regulator continues consultation on a draft code that will set privacy rules for online services likely to be accessed by children.

The page says the Code is being developed under the Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024 and will operate as an APP Code under the Privacy Act 1988.

According to the OAIC, the Code will apply to online services that fall within the categories of social media services, relevant electronic services, and designated internet services under the Online Safety Act 2021, where those services are likely to be accessed by children or primarily concern children’s activities. The regulator says the Code is intended to put children at the centre of privacy protections in Australia while also lifting privacy practices more broadly.

The updated page highlights the current public consultation on the exposure draft of the Children’s Online Privacy Code. It also refers users to separate consultation pathways for children, young people, parents and carers, and for industry, civil society, academia, and other interested parties.

The OAIC also says it has created a dedicated Privacy for Kids hub to support participation in the consultation. According to the page, the hub includes workbooks and child-friendly guides to help explain the draft Code to children, young people, and parents and carers.

In addition, the updated page invites stakeholders to register for an OAIC webinar on the Children’s Online Privacy Code public consultation. The OAIC says the final Code must be finalised and registered by 10 December 2026.

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EU targets platforms over child safety and addictive design practices

The European Commission has intensified enforcement under the Digital Services Act (DSA), targeting online platforms for child safety, addictive design features, and insufficient age-verification systems.

Executive Vice-President Virkkunen said the measures are intended to ensure platforms are held accountable when services expose minors to harmful or restricted content.

Actions have been taken against multiple major platforms, including TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Shein, over concerns related to design practices such as infinite scroll, autoplay, and highly personalised recommendation systems.

Additional enforcement has also been launched against pornographic platforms for failing to implement adequate age verification tools.

Alongside enforcement, the EU has developed a digital age verification app designed to give users control over personal data through privacy-preserving technology based on zero-knowledge proofs.

The system is already technically ready and is being tested across several member states, either as a standalone tool or integrated into national digital wallets.

The Commission is also preparing an EU-wide coordination mechanism to standardise accreditation of national solutions and avoid fragmentation across member states. The initiative aims to establish a unified age-verification framework that upholds privacy standards and supports wider adoption across digital services.

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OpenAI launches child safety framework to address AI risks

A new framework has been introduced by OpenAI to address risks of AI-enabled child abuse and strengthen protection mechanisms across digital systems.

An initiative that reflects growing concern over how emerging technologies can both enable and prevent harm.

The blueprint focuses on modernising legal frameworks to address AI-generated harmful content, improving reporting and coordination among service providers, and embedding safety measures directly into AI systems.

These measures aim to enhance early detection and prevent misuse at scale.

Developed in collaboration with organisations such as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and the Attorney General Alliance, the framework promotes shared standards across industry and public authorities.

It emphasises coordinated responses and stronger accountability mechanisms.

An approach that combines technical safeguards, human oversight, and legal enforcement, aiming to improve response speed and reduce risks before harm occurs.

Ultimately, the initiative highlights the need for continuous adaptation as AI capabilities evolve and reshape online safety challenges.

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Greece moves to restrict youth social media access with new digital age rules

New measures to protect minors online have been announced by Greece, introducing a national ‘digital age of majority’, restricting access to social media for users under 15.

The policy forms part of a broader strategy addressing child safety and digital overuse, with implementation scheduled for January 2027.

An initiative that places primary responsibility on platforms, requiring robust age-verification systems and periodic re-verification of existing accounts. Authorities will oversee compliance under the EU’s Digital Services Act framework, with penalties including fines and operational restrictions for violations.

The policy builds on earlier tools such as KidsWallet, an age-verification mechanism already deployed nationally.

Authorities in Greece argue that reliance on parental control alone is insufficient, citing increasing evidence linking excessive platform use to mental health risks, including anxiety, reduced sleep, and social isolation.

A proposal that aligns with wider European discussions on youth protection, including efforts to establish a unified digital age threshold across member states.

Greece has also called for stronger EU-wide enforcement mechanisms, positioning the measure as part of a coordinated approach to safeguarding minors in digital environments.

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