Protecting children 
Blocking illegal material 
Removing harmful content on major platforms 
Those are the three main goals of the Online Safety Act, which entered UK law in October. While demanding more accountability from social media companies in particular, the act revises – rather than replaces – the current digital safeguarding duties placed on schools.
With changes including the creation of new criminal offences and greater options when raising an issue with a platform, there’s plenty for educators to take on board. Our #WakeUpWednesday guide this week provides a bite-size introduction to the Online Safety Act – and highlights some of the key points that schools need to be familiar with in the short term.
After a lengthy gestation period, the UK Government’s wide-ranging changes to the legislation around digital safeguarding have become enshrined in law as the Online Safety Act. The first of its kind in Britain, the act aims to improve protection for children online and clamp down on illegal material. Regulated by Ofcom, it will primarily impact social media platforms and companies which host user-generated content.
The new legislation, however, also carries implications for schools and their staff. Although further developments are expected, our #WakeUpWednesday guide summarises the main points of the act that schools need to be aware of so far – outlining some specific areas that the new laws address and what effect, in practical terms, this will have on education providers.
