TO BE PUBLISHED December 2026
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This conference will examine next steps for children’s online safety in the UK. Areas for discussion include practical implementation of new protections for children and young people online, as well as implications for schools, families and safeguarding services, priorities for age assurance and platform accountability, and the way forward for responding to the impact of AI and emerging online harms.
Overall, it will bring stakeholders and policymakers together to consider the next phase of policy and delivery following the Government’s response to the Growing Up in the Online World consultation and the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026. Discussion will take place as work progresses on the regulations needed to underpin the new restrictions, alongside implementation of the Online Safety Act 2023, Ofcom’s work on age assurance and wider online safety regulation, and as schools implement statutory guidance on mobile phone use.
Attendees will consider practical requirements and implications of the developing framework, including the scope of restrictions across different types of service, approaches to age assurance, platform features and service design, and expectations around accountability and compliance. Discussion will examine questions of effectiveness, proportionality and privacy, as well as provider readiness and implications for services of differing scale and functionality.
The conference will also examine the role of education, families and wider safeguarding arrangements in supporting children’s safety and wellbeing online. Sessions will consider implementation of mobile phone policies in schools, priorities for digital and media literacy and online safety education, support and guidance for parents and carers, and coordination between schools, safeguarding partners, regulators and online services. These approaches will be considered in the context of changing patterns of technology use and emerging risks, alongside the support that children and young people may need to develop the knowledge and confidence to engage with the online world.
Social media restrictions & protections for young people
Delegates will consider the scope and implementation of the new restrictions and protections for children and young people, including how they will apply across different types of online service.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- under-16 restrictions:
- scope and definition - social media services and restrictions on particular functions elsewhere, including gaming and messaging
- existing accounts, exemptions and transition arrangements
- 16-17 restrictions: overnight and muted notifications - autoplay and personalised feeds switched off by default - user choice - transition from protections applying to younger children
- scope: distinctions between social media, gaming, messaging and other services - treatment of multifunctional services and particular features - clarity and consistency of definitions
- addressing circumvention: approaches to tackling issues around false ages and account sharing - VPN use and other workarounds - expectations on providers and support for families
- impact and effectiveness: implications for children’s online participation and access to beneficial content and services - approaches to assessing behavioural, wellbeing and wider effects
Age assurance, platform design & practical implementation
The agenda will look at the systems and service changes needed to deliver the new protections effectively and proportionately.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- age assurance: approaches to determining whether users meet age thresholds - Ofcom’s developing expectations - accuracy, accessibility and error rates
- privacy and data: proportionality of checks affecting wider users - data minimisation, retention and security - coordination between Ofcom and the Information Commissioner’s Office
- platform design: recommender systems, autoplay, livestreaming, contact with strangers and other higher-risk features - safety by design and product testing
- provider readiness: changes to products and compliance systems - lead times and assurance of age-checking technology - implications for services of different scale and functionality
- wider access points: app stores, operating systems and device-level controls - interaction between service-level and device-level approaches
Regulation, compliance & oversight
Delegates will consider how the existing online safety regime is operating in practice, including where further clarity, consistency or regulatory intervention may be needed as new requirements are introduced.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- duties: illegal content and children’s safety duties in force - evidence from Ofcom’s early enforcement activity - areas where compliance may require further attention
- codes of practice: further safety measures anticipated - proactive technology, automated moderation and crisis response
- enforcement: Ofcom’s compliance priorities - information notices, penalties and business disruption measures - complaint, redress and independent oversight
- transparency and assurance: transparency reporting - children’s risk assessments - evidence and assurance of compliance
- proportionality: application of duties across services of different scale and functionality - implications for smaller, community and non-commercial services
Schools, families, digital literacy & safeguarding
The contribution of schools, families and wider safeguarding services supporting children’s online safety will be a focus, including priorities for school policy, digital and media literacy, support for families, and coordination as new requirements take effect.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- mobiles in schools: statutory guidance now in effect - exemptions for medical needs, SEND and individual safeguarding concerns - consistency of policy, enforcement and inspection
- curriculum and media literacy: revised national curriculum due in 2027 - media literacy within citizenship, computing and RSHE - teacher confidence, resources and training
- supporting families: new guidance on screen use for children aged 5-16 - role of parental controls once restrictions apply - outreach and take-up of online safety information
- safeguarding practice: information-sharing and escalation between schools, police, health and children’s services - planned Child Protection Authority and national oversight
- capacity and impact: workload and resource implications for schools and local services - monitoring effects on wellbeing, participation and inclusion
AI, emerging online harms & international approaches
Further sessions examine risks associated with AI and other developing technologies, alongside the implications of approaches being taken elsewhere for future UK policy and regulation.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- AI chatbots: restrictions on services offering sexualised content to under-18s - required breaks - harmful or unverified mental health advice - addressing emotional dependency
- regulatory scope: new powers over AI services and how they will be defined - responsibilities across developers and platforms - chatbot services potentially falling outside current duties
- evolving risks:
- generative AI, digital companions and synthetic content - nudification tools and image-based abuse
- approaches to identifying and assessing new harms
- international approaches:
- lessons learned from Australia’s under-16 restrictions in operation since December 2025
- EU guidelines on protection of minors and its age-verification framework - divergent national thresholds and models across Europe
- interoperability and enforcement: compliance for services operating across jurisdictions - implications of different regulatory approaches for enforcement and future UK policy development
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those already due to attend include parliamentary pass-holders from the House of Commons and officials from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government; Department of Health and Social Care; HM Treasury; Information Commissioner’s Office; Ofcom; and the Welsh Government.
