Safer Online Spaces for Children: CiNI Members Roundtable with Ofcom
On Thursday 19 June 2025, Children in Northern Ireland (CiNI) hosted a thought provoking and insightful members roundtable discussion with Almudena Lara, Policy Director for Child Safety at Ofcom and Bimpe Archer, Ofcom’s Regulatory Affairs Manager (Online Safety and Media Literacy). The purpose of the roundtable was to explore how new online safety regulations are shaping a safer digital world for children and young people.
The event was timely, following the April 2025 publication of Ofcom’s new Codes of Practice, which mark a major step forward in protecting children from online harms such as abuse, bullying, and exposure to harmful content. The roundtable was attended by CiNI members from across the children’s sector, with key policy and digital safety advocates in attendance, all united by a shared commitment to improving child wellbeing in a digital age.
A New Legal Duty: Safer Online Services
The introduction of the Online Safety Act 2023 has placed a legal duty on online platforms and services to protect children from harm. Ofcom, in its role as the UK’s online safety regulator, has set out clear expectations for how platforms should assess and manage risk, prioritise children’s safety, and make online spaces less harmful.
You can explore the new regulatory framework and guidelines here:
Ofcom – New rules for a safer generation of children online
The following video, produced by Ofcom, features young people reflecting on their online experiences—what helps them feel safe, and what causes concern. Their voices provide a powerful reminder that children’s insights must inform both policy development and platform design, grounding our conversations in lived reality.
Key Themes from the Roundtable
During the session, Almudena Lara shared critical insights into:
- How platforms must now assess the risk of harm to children and take proactive steps to reduce exposure to damaging content.
- Steps Ofcom is taking to enforce compliance, including expectations around age verification, risk assessments, and algorithm accountability.
- The role of community and policy organisations in advocating for children’s rights and supporting education around safe digital engagement.
- The role of children and young people in informing the ongoing governance of online safety regulation.
Ofcom identified some key challenges to keeping children safe online, not least the ever changing fast pace of the online world. They emphasised the need for agility and swift, decisive action and highlighted that the current Codes of Practice are just one stage in a process of implementation of a robust regulatory framework which will greatly enhance the safety of children and young people online.
Participants had the opportunity to ask questions and discuss lived experiences of online harm from the children and families they work with directly with senior Ofcom staff. Participants highlighted the urgent need for robust enforcement, clear communication, and inclusive implementation of the new rules.
A Collaborative Path Forward
This event reinforced the vital role of cross-sector collaboration in driving safer digital environments, and the role that we all can play in ensuring every child in Northern Ireland can grow up safe, supported, and empowered, both on and offline. CiNI remains committed to supporting its members, families, and children and young people to understand their rights and help shape digital spaces that prioritise the realisation of children’s rights and the promotion of children’s wellbeing.
A huge thank you to Ofcom and to all attendees for contributing to such an important and insightful conversation. We will continue to engage with Ofcom and other key stakeholders to monitor how these new protections are being delivered, and what more can be done.
You can download the presentation slides from the event by clicking here.
Safer Online Spaces for Children: CiNI Members Roundtable with Ofcom
On Thursday 19 June 2025, Children in Northern Ireland (CiNI) hosted a thought provoking and insightful members roundtable discussion with Almudena Lara, Policy Director for Child Safety at Ofcom and Bimpe Archer, Ofcom’s Regulatory Affairs Manager (Online Safety and Media Literacy). The purpose of the roundtable was to explore how new online safety regulations are shaping a safer digital world for children and young people.
The event was timely, following the April 2025 publication of Ofcom’s new Codes of Practice, which mark a major step forward in protecting children from online harms such as abuse, bullying, and exposure to harmful content. The roundtable was attended by CiNI members from across the children’s sector, with key policy and digital safety advocates in attendance, all united by a shared commitment to improving child wellbeing in a digital age.
A New Legal Duty: Safer Online Services
The introduction of the Online Safety Act 2023 has placed a legal duty on online platforms and services to protect children from harm. Ofcom, in its role as the UK’s online safety regulator, has set out clear expectations for how platforms should assess and manage risk, prioritise children’s safety, and make online spaces less harmful.
You can explore the new regulatory framework and guidelines here:
Ofcom – New rules for a safer generation of children online
The following video, produced by Ofcom, features young people reflecting on their online experiences—what helps them feel safe, and what causes concern. Their voices provide a powerful reminder that children’s insights must inform both policy development and platform design, grounding our conversations in lived reality.
Key Themes from the Roundtable
During the session, Almudena Lara shared critical insights into:
- How platforms must now assess the risk of harm to children and take proactive steps to reduce exposure to damaging content.
- Steps Ofcom is taking to enforce compliance, including expectations around age verification, risk assessments, and algorithm accountability.
- The role of community and policy organisations in advocating for children’s rights and supporting education around safe digital engagement.
- The role of children and young people in informing the ongoing governance of online safety regulation.
Ofcom identified some key challenges to keeping children safe online, not least the ever changing fast pace of the online world. They emphasised the need for agility and swift, decisive action and highlighted that the current Codes of Practice are just one stage in a process of implementation of a robust regulatory framework which will greatly enhance the safety of children and young people online.
Participants had the opportunity to ask questions and discuss lived experiences of online harm from the children and families they work with directly with senior Ofcom staff. Participants highlighted the urgent need for robust enforcement, clear communication, and inclusive implementation of the new rules.
A Collaborative Path Forward
This event reinforced the vital role of cross-sector collaboration in driving safer digital environments, and the role that we all can play in ensuring every child in Northern Ireland can grow up safe, supported, and empowered, both on and offline. CiNI remains committed to supporting its members, families, and children and young people to understand their rights and help shape digital spaces that prioritise the realisation of children’s rights and the promotion of children’s wellbeing.
A huge thank you to Ofcom and to all attendees for contributing to such an important and insightful conversation. We will continue to engage with Ofcom and other key stakeholders to monitor how these new protections are being delivered, and what more can be done.
You can download the presentation slides from the event by clicking here.
