What the Online Safety Act means for families
From July 2025, online platforms must use stronger age checks and safer defaults for children. That helps, but families still need clear guidance. This article is written for UK employers and schools who want to support parents and carers with practical steps. You will find a one page plan, ready to use comms, and a simple checklist.
What actually changed in 2025
- Services that are likely to be used by children must complete risk assessments and apply child‑safety measures.
- Sites and apps that allow pornography must use strong age checks.
- Platforms must give children and parents better tools to control what is seen and to report harmful content.
These rules are now in force. Platforms are expected to show evidence of compliance and can face penalties if they fail to act.
Plain English: the platforms have to do more, but families still need simple guidance, device settings, and practical habits.
Who this guide is for
- Employers who want to share a short, trusted pack with staff who are parents or carers.
- Schools who want a clear briefing for governors and a parent-friendly checklist to send home.
- Safeguarding and HR leads who need a simple action plan they can run each term.
How employers and schools can help families now
1) Share a one page safety pack
Use your intranet or parent portal. Link to it from staff newsletters and school bulletins.
What to include
- The 5 things to do today at home.
- How to switch on family controls on systems like Apple, Android, Xbox, PlayStation and home routers.
- How to report harmful content on the main platforms.
- Who to contact locally if something goes wrong.
Add your logo and a named contact. Keep it in plain English. Update it once a term.
2) Run short awareness sessions
Keep it simple and regular. Thirty minutes is enough.
- For staff in an all‑hands: a quick walk through of device settings, social media privacy, scam spotting and where to get help.
- For parents at school: short evening session or a recorded briefing. Focus on phone safety, app store settings, reporting, and healthy screen habits.
3) Make help easy to find
- Create a single page on your intranet or school website called Online Safety Help.
- Add short guides with screenshots.
- Link to it from HR, safeguarding and IT pages.
4) Build it into policies and onboarding
- Employers: reference online safety in your Acceptable Use and Email and Communications policies. Add a link to your safety pack in the new starter checklist.
- Schools: map this guidance to your Safeguarding and E‑Safety policy. Add the parent pack to the admissions welcome email.
5) Keep the conversation going
- Share a monthly tip in staff comms or the school newsletter.
- Run a short quiz each term. Celebrate good habits rather than shaming mistakes.
The five things families can do this week
- Turn on family controls on phones, tablets, games consoles and smart TVs. Use age ratings and time limits.
- Review privacy and safety settings in the apps your child uses most.
- Use platform reporting tools for bullying, self‑harm content or anything that feels unsafe.
- Agree simple house rules for bedtime, devices in bedrooms, and who to ask for help.
- Talk about scams and social engineering. Share examples and practise how to respond.
Tip for employers: add this list to your staff wellbeing area.
Tip for schools: print this on a single A4 sheet for parents’ evenings.
A simple 30‑60‑90 day plan for organisations
Days 1 to 30
- Publish your one page safety pack.
- Add an Online Safety Help page to your site or intranet.
- Schedule a 30 minute staff or parent session.
Days 31 to 60
- Add platform quick‑start guides with screenshots.
- Run the first short quiz and share a scoreboard.
- Start a monthly tip in staff or parent comms.
Days 61 to 90
- Review what people clicked and asked about.
- Update the safety pack.
- Add a short FAQ to your website.
Ready to use communications
Email to staff
Subject: New Online Safety resources for parents and carers
Hi everyone,
We have published a short Online Safety pack to help families use phones and apps more safely at home. It covers age settings, reporting tools and simple house rules. You can find it on the intranet here: [link]. If you would like a quick walkthrough, join the 30 minute session on [date].
Thanks,
[Your name]
Newsletter note for schools
We have updated our Online Safety advice for families. It explains what changed in UK law this summer and how to switch on age settings, privacy controls and reporting tools at home. Read the guide here: [link].
Checklists
For HR or Safeguarding leads
- Safety pack published and easy to find.
- Named contact for help or escalation.
- Termly update cycle booked.
- Awareness sessions scheduled.
- Links added from policies and onboarding.
For families
- Family controls on every device.
- App privacy and safety settings reviewed.
- Reporting routes known and tested.
- Agreed house rules.
- Talked about scams this week.
Frequently asked questions
No. This guidance relates to the UK’s Online Safety Act. Other countries have their own rules.
The duties apply to platforms and services. Families still choose their own device and router settings. This guide shows practical ways to use those settings well.
Blocking can help on work or school devices, but education and clear reporting routes matter more. Focus on default safety settings, privacy controls and support.
Many popular apps use encryption. Families should still use safety features, think about contact lists and report problems. Use age settings and parental controls on the device and in the apps.
Speak to your school or employer contact. Use platform reporting tools. If there is an immediate risk to a child, call the police.
How Nxt Gen IT can help
- Cyber Awareness Training for staff and governors with a parent pack you can share.
- Mobile Device Management for school and work devices, including age and content settings.
- Content filtering and DNS security for school networks and work devices.
- Phishing simulations and short learning modules focused on family risks and scams.
Talk to us to set up a pilot in your organisation.
Ben helps growing businesses turn technology into a driver of performance instead of a barrier. At Nxt Gen IT he works with SME leaders, recruiters, and fast-scaling teams to design solutions that improve reliability, strengthen security, and unlock growth.
With a background in email deliverability and cloud systems, Ben specialises in making sure businesses communicate effectively, keep data safe, and get the most from Microsoft 365. His experience spans solution design, managed IT services, and virtual CIO support, always with a focus on practical outcomes that reduce headaches for business owners.
Ben has supported organisations across the UK, from recruitment agencies struggling with inbox placement to SaaS firms scaling fast, and SMEs needing a trusted partner for their IT. He believes tech is never the end goal: growth is. His role is to make sure technology never gets in the way of it.