UK's Online Safety Act has made 'absolutely no difference,' kids say
UK Children's Commissioner tells Lords committee the Online Safety Act has 'made absolutely no difference' and criticizes Ofcom over risk assessment transparency.
England's Children's Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza testified that more than a year after key Online Safety Act child-protection duties took effect, children report no meaningful change in accessing harmful content. She criticized Ofcom for refusing to share companies' safety risk assessments under section 393(1) of the Communications Act 2003, and planned to use statutory powers to compel disclosure. She argued the OSA has not kept pace with AI-driven harms (citing the 'Grok nudifying' controversy) and urged Ofcom to 'use its teeth,' contrasting the UK's approach with Meta's proposed $18 billion US child-safety settlement.
- Children's Commissioner says OSA child protections have made no measurable difference for kids
- Ofcom blocked disclosure of company risk assessments citing s.393(1) Communications Act 2003
- De Souza plans statutory powers to compel Ofcom disclosure
- Compares UK unfavorably to Meta's $18B US settlement introducing usage limits and feed opt-outs
- Organizations
- House of LordsChildren's Commissioner
- Countries
- United Kingdom
- AI models
- Grok
From the original article
4 min read at theregister.comChildren's Commissioner also furious with Ofcom over a string of failures
By Connor Jones · theregister.com
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