Chidline: A year since Online Safety Act became law, we’re still waiting for tech companies to make their platforms safe for children

A lot of abuse is via private messaging which is why the Online Safety Act needs strengthening. Picture posed by model

Being online is a huge part of children’s lives today. From gaming to social media apps. But these platforms represent a very real and ever-present danger if not used safely.

Meanwhile, the number of online grooming crimes recorded by police forces the UK has increased by 89% in six years (since 2017/18), with more than 7,000 offences recorded in 2023/24. Here in the North East, police recorded more than 280 offences of sexual communication with a child, an increase of 18% from the first year the offence was in force in 2017/18.

This grooming can take place over social media chat apps, video games and messaging apps on consoles, dating sites and chatrooms. Children are then encouraged to continue communication on private and encrypted messaging platforms where abuse can take place undetected.

The NSPCC’s online safety hub is a great free resource offering advice for parents on topics including nudes to online games to parental controls, helping you make informed decisions and help keep your child safe.

The NSPCC is here to support parents with online safety advice, and also helped create the Online Safety Act, which aims to help children stay safer online.

It’s been a year since the Online Safety Act became law, and we’re still waiting for tech companies to make their platforms safe for children. Currently, Ofcom puts too much focus on acting after harm has taken place, rather than being proactive and ensuring social media apps are not contributing to abuse in the first place.

It is clear that much of this abuse is taking place in private messaging which is why we also need the UK Government to strengthen the Online Safety Act to give Ofcom more legal certainty to tackle child sexual abuse on the likes of Snapchat and WhatsApp

The Childline website also has lots of easily accessible online safety resources which could be useful for young people and parents as children spend more time online.

Our Childline counsellors are always here for children, 24 hours a day at the end of a phone or online. If a young person has experienced something negative online, we can help offer support and guidance, and make sure they have someone to talk to.