The UK government released draft codes of practice on 11 August 2026 setting out how regulated platforms must comply with child safety duties under the Online Safety Act, including requirements for age assurance, risk assessment of functionalities such as direct messaging and livestreaming, and proactive detection of child sexual exploitation and abuse content. Ofcom will consult on the draft codes until 9 October 2026, with final codes expected to take effect in early 2027, imposing duties on all user-to-user services and search engines accessible to children in the UK.
Compliance frameworks that mandate risk assessment and age assurance establish the perimeter but do not themselves detect harm in flight. The Meta Business Partner Guardii monitors children's direct messages in real time, with dedicated detection modules for grooming, sextortion, child sexual abuse material including AI-generated content, age-inappropriate contact and cyberbullying, surfacing a child in crisis to a parent, school or professional without requiring the platform itself to read every message, and offering regulated services a mechanism to meet proactive detection obligations under the Act.
