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As children and teenagers spend more time immersed in digital spaces, their exposure to online harms has intensified. Policy makers present the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA) as a landmark response; yet its effectiveness in protecting under-18s remains uncertain.
This book traces the way that engagement with online environments has reshaped young people’s lives, exploring harmful content, algorithmic targeting and commercial data practices alongside the regulatory mechanisms designed to address them. Through close analysis of the OSA, it reveals how the market-driven priorities of major tech companies intersect with loopholes and discretionary powers embedded in the new scheme, potentially undermining efforts to safeguard children and teenagers online. The book recommends more effective methods of engaging in platform regulation and protections for children.
Helen Fenwick is Professor of Human Rights Law at Durham University and Director of the University of Durham Human Rights and Public Law Centre.
Peter Coe is an Associate Professor in Law at Birmingham Law School, University of Birmingham.
1. Introduction
2. Benefits and Harms of the Online Environment for Children
3. The Online Safety Act 2023
4. Children and Illegal Content: Duties Imposed by the Online Safety Act 2023
5. Legal Content Harmful to Children
6. Conclusions and Recommendations