Name: _________________________________________
Date: _________________
Year Group: _________
📊 Key Facts
- The Internet Watch Foundation removed over 275,000 URLs hosting child sexual abuse material in 2024
- AI-generated CSAM now constitutes a growing proportion of IWF referrals
- Ofcom estimates 40% of children aged 8-17 have encountered harmful content online in the past year
- The Online Safety Act 2023 introduced duties affecting over 25,000 platforms operating in the UK
- Social media companies spent over £8m lobbying against elements of the Online Safety Act
⚖️ The Law
- Online Safety Act 2023 — categorised platforms, duty of care, safety by design, child user duties
- Communications Offences Act 2023 — updates to coercive online behaviour, false communication, cyberflashing
- Protection of Children Act 1978 — indecent images of children (includes AI-generated)
- GDPR / UK GDPR — children's data rights, minimum age for consent, right to erasure
- Children's Code (Age Appropriate Design Code) — privacy by default for under-18s
- Mandatory Reporting (Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2024) — applies to online harm disclosures
✏️ Think About It: Scenarios
Scenario 1: A friend tells you something worrying about internet safety. What do you do?
Scenario 2: You see something related to internet safety that concerns you. What are your options?
Scenario 3: Someone you know seems to be in a situation involving internet safety. How do you respond?
💡 Key Messages
- The Online Safety Act 2023 is the most significant shift in platform liability since the internet began
- AI-generated CSAM is illegal under the same law as real imagery — and is a rapidly growing threat
- Children have significant digital rights under UK GDPR and the Children's Code — most don't know them
- Professional responsibility around online harm is codified in law — knowing the referral pathways is not optional
- Platform design is a public health issue — safety by design saves children's lives
🆘 Need Help?
Childline: 0800 1111 (free, 24/7, confidential)
Crimestoppers: 0800 555 111 (100% anonymous)
CEOP: ceop.police.uk (online exploitation)
Emergency: 999