The Online Safety Act
Knowledge Hub by OneID®

All you need to know about the Online Safety Act and how to meet age assurance requirements in an easy, frictionless manner.

The introduction of the Online Safety Act (OSA) marks a significant milestone in protecting children from harmful content. As online businesses and content platforms try to understand and navigate this crucial and wide-reaching regulation, we believe there’s an opportunity to turn this compliance requirement into a key differentiator. The OneID® OSA Knowledge Hub is designed to give you resources, insights, and solutions to help you stay compliant while enhancing user trust and experience.

Time to implement safety measures on your platform

Speak to our team 

Book a demo

Here are some resources to help you comply with the
Online Safety Act.

The UK’s Online Safety Act: the what, the who and the how.

Discover how the Online Safety Act will reshape digital regulation in the UK, who it impacts, and how you can implement a seamless, privacy-preserving age verification solution to ensure compliance without compromising user experience.

Read Blog
Online safety act OneID safety

Who does the Online Safety Act affect?

As broad as an act the Online Safety Act is, businesses like yours need a clearer view of if and how the new regulation will affect them.

Take the Ofcom questionnaire, ‘Does the Online Safety Act apply to your service?’ to understand how the regulation could impact your business. It’ll just take a couple of minutes.

Take the Questionairre

 

How to comply with the Online Safety Act 

User-to-user services must complete a number of steps to comply with the Online Safety Act.

  1. Complete an Illegal Harms Risk Assessment  
  2. Complete a Children’s Access Assessment 
  3. Complete a Children’s Risk Assessment 

Implementing a highly effective age assurance measure like OneID® can help save time and hassle, supporting compliance with the duties.

Complying with the OSA explained. 

Illegal Harms Risk Assessment: What’s the likelihood of users coming across illegal or harmful content on your service?

 
Step 1: Understand the harms possible on your website

Ofcom has published 15 kinds of priority illegal harms that you must assess, alongside a list of risk factors, such as image sharing.

Step 2: Assess the risk of harm by analysing your service’s specific features

This could include your service’s user base, design elements, algorithms, and business model. This information can help to evaluate the likelihood and impact of these harms and categorise them as low, medium, or high risk.

Step 3: Identify and implement appropriate measures

To reduce the risks of harm, implement measures such as content moderation, user reporting tools, or highly effective age assurance. You should also document these processes and their outcomes.

Step 4: Report risk assessments and safety measures via relevant governance channels

Monitor the effectiveness of safety measures and review or update them annually or whenever significant changes occur to risks or your service.

 

Children’s Access Assessment: The CAA is a two-stage process that seeks to determine if children are on your service, or are likely to be attracted by your service. Your Children’s Access Assessment will determine whether or not you need to complete the Children’s Risk Assessment (CRA).

Stage 1: Determine whether children can access your service

You can only conclude that children cannot access your service if you have implemented a highly effective age assurance (HEAA) measure like OneID®. If you have HEAA, you can record it in your assessment, and you don’t need to proceed to stage 2 and further assessments.

Stage 2: Asses if the child user condition is met

Assess whether a significant number of children are using the service and/or whether it is likely to attract a significant number of children.

If the child user condition is met, i.e., a significant number of children access the service, then you must undertake the Children’s Risk Assessment.

 

Children’s Risk Assessment: If children can access your service, are you providing them with age-appropriate experiences? 

Step 1: Understand and identify harmful content risks to children

Assess specific types of content, considering how features like direct messaging or recommender systems may increase exposure to harm.

Step 2: Assess the risk of harm

Consider your service’s characteristics, design, and user protections, including cumulative harm risks. Assign risk levels and assess age-specific vulnerabilities.

Step 3: Determine and implement suitable safety measures

To protect children from harm on your service, document the outcomes of your risk assessment and follow Ofcom’s draft Children’s Safety Codes for guidance on content moderation, user tools, and reporting.

Step 4: Report and review your children's risk assessment outcomes

Ensure updates are made after significant changes by Ofcom or your service. Smaller organisations can improve oversight by involving a senior manager responsible for online safety.

Webinar: The Online Safety Act – a Dating Sector Case Study on Reducing Onboarding Friction While Meeting Compliance Deadlines.

Gain insights into how dating, gaming and social media platforms can balance regulatory requirements with a smooth user experience in this exclusive webinar, co-hosted with Illuminate Tech. Hear from Ofcom on how the new regulations will impact online services. Also, learn how Sizzl, a dating app, is tackling onboarding challenges and reducing friction while complying with the Online Safety Act. This 45-minute session will offer actionable advice for platforms facing similar challenges.

Watch On Demand
OSA Webinar
The Online Safety Act - Turn Compliance into Competitive Advantage with OneID®.

The Online Safety Act will change how online businesses and services operate in the UK. However, as businesses look for the most effective way to comply with the new regulation, bank-verified digital identity can help them drive business success.  

Our paper, Turn Compliance into Competitive Advantage with OneID®, explores the Online Safety Act, demonstrates compliance, and shares how bank-based user verification can enhance business performance.  

Download Paper
OSA 2024 Solution Paper
How Sizzl balanced user safety and user experience with OneID®.

The Online Safety Act (OSA) requires dating services to implement stringent identity and age assurance measures. Sizzl, a dating platform prioritising safer experiences, turned this need for compliance into a competitive advantage. Here's how.

Read Case Study
OneID and Sizzl
 
Frictionless age verification and onboarding journey with OneID® 

Complying with the Online Safety Act doesn’t have to create friction, data oversharing, or user drop-off. See how you can easily verify users and set up payments within seconds.   

What is the Children’s Access Assessment (CAA), and how to meet compliance easily? 

The Online Safety Act is centred on the Children’s Access Assessment and the very simple question: ‘Is it possible for children to access your services?’ Your response to the assessment determines what you should do to comply with the OSA. In our blog, we break down the assessment, when it should be done, and the easy way to meet compliance.

Read Blog
Childrens Access Assessment and the Easy Way to Comply with the Online Safety Act

Learn how the Online Safety Act will affect your business.

Email Adrian Field, our Director of Market Development, who works closely with policymakers and regulators and helps businesses understand how this new regulation will shape the UK’s digital future.  adrian@oneid.uk

Contact Adrian
Adrian Field

Book a meeting with our team to learn which OneID® product best fits your needs.