UK's Online Safety Act has made 'absolutely no difference,' kids say

Children have told England's Children's Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, that the UK's Online Safety Act (OSA) "has made absolutely no difference" to their ability to access harmful content online.

More than a year after the OSA's key child protection duties took effect, de Souza told MPs and peers that young people had little understanding of the legislation or how it was intended to change their online experiences.

De Souza made the comments during the opening evidence session of the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee's inquiry into the OSA's implementation and impact.

Central to de Souza's criticism was the legislation's focus on moderating harmful content rather than addressing potentially harmful platform design features.

UK politicians had pushed for controls covering such features, either through the OSA or separate legislation, but none has materialized.

De Souza said she was "really cross" that there was no hard evidence showing the OSA had meaningfully changed how social media platforms operate.

She contrasted that with the US, where legal pressure recently pushed Meta toward significant child safety concessions.

Concerns about addictive platform design are not new, but they have returned to prominence following Meta's proposed $18 billion settlement in a US child safety case.

Without admitting wrongdoing, Zuckercorp would under the proposed settlement introduce two-hour daily limits for users under 18 on Facebook and Instagram, prompts intended to discourage endless scrolling, and measures addressing use during school hours and at night.

The proposal would also let children opt out of algorithmically ranked feeds, directly addressing concerns raised by de Souza and other UK lawmakers.

Discussing the proposed Meta settlement, de Souza said the OSA had "not been flexible enough" and had not "kept up with the time." She argued that Ofcom and lawmakers should seek results comparable to those achieved through the US legal system, even if that required the legislation to evolve. 'Furious' with Ofcom De Souza said she planned to exercise her statutory powers to compel Ofcom, the OSA's regulator, to provide copies of the safety risk assessments submitted by technology companies.

The commissioner said Ofcom had refused to share the assessments with her, despite her position as "the most senior safeguarding person in this country for children," and had indicated that it would resist disclosure even if she invoked those powers.

"One thing I did want to ask this committee was for your assistance in this matter, because I am planning to use my powers," De Souza said.