Bridging the Gap Between Regulation and Real-World Parenting
Guest post: Nino Dvalidze, Founder, Young Minds App
Online safety tool for families
As a mother, parenting influencer, and founder of a digital safety tool used by thousands of UK families, I’ve seen firsthand what parents worry about most and what laws often miss. The Online Safety Act is a major step forward. But if we listen to parents, we’ll see the work is far from over.
On 25 July 2025, the UK began enforcing the Online Safety Act’s Children’s Codes. For the first time, platforms that host pornography, self-harm, or suicide-related content are legally required to implement robust age verification systems. Not simple checkboxes. Real enforcement. They must also limit harmful algorithmic recommendations, offer reporting tools that children can understand, and remove illegal content quickly.
It’s a major milestone. As Ofcom put it, this is a “really big moment” for child online safety. And after years of campaigning, grief, and inaction, Secretary of State Peter Kyle formally apologised to a generation of children who were exposed to toxic online content.
But while this is progress, it’s not enough. Not yet.
What Parents Are Still Worried About
In our community of hundreds of thousands of parents, there is deep relief and growing concern. Because even with laws in place, loopholes remain wide open.
- Privacy vs Protection
To access adult sites, some platforms now require photo ID, facial scans, or banking data. Most parents firmly believe children should not be visiting these sites at all. But the real concern is what happens if they try. In that case, the new verification systems could create unintended risks.
Privacy and child safety advocates warn that these systems often involve uploading highly sensitive data, forming databases linked to pornography access. If compromised, this data could be exploited. Parents are particularly worried that if their child attempts to visit an adult site, even out of curiosity, their personal information may be collected, stored, and potentially leaked.
Some families are starting to ask whether these new rules might end up doing more harm than good.
- Still Not Enough Protection
Age verification helps. But it doesn’t fix:
- VPNs (Virtual Private Networks): These apps allow kids to disguise their location and browsing activity. Even if a platform blocks content in the UK, a VPN can make it appear like the child is logging in from a different country where age checks are weaker or absent. Many VPN apps are free and marketed with vague language about privacy and freedom. But parents are often unaware that these tools are widely used.
We’ve already seen how quickly this can unravel. In France, just weeks ago, the government introduced strict age checks for adult sites. Within 30 minutes, VPN usage surged. Teens and adults rushed to bypass the rules. A clear example of how easily first-layer protections can be circumvented.
- New and cloned websites: Harmful content doesn’t just live on major platforms. Thousands of new websites appear daily, often copied from existing adult or illegal domains. Scammers use tactics like:
- Creating lookalike URLs with tiny name changes
- Uploading content to hidden forums, chat groups, or niche platforms
- Constantly shifting domains to evade detection
Because these sites are new, they haven’t been reviewed or categorised yet. So they slip through most filters.
- Addictive algorithms: Many platforms still use recommendation engines that serve up emotionally charged, extreme, or highly engaging content. Children don’t need to search for harmful material. It finds them. This isn’t just about pornography. It’s about misinformation, body image pressure, peer dynamics, and content that leaves children anxious or emotionally numb.
- Let’s Be Realistic About What Is Possible
The Online Safety Act is a move in the right direction. These new regulations are necessary, and they represent real progress.
But in today’s digital environment, we must be honest about what legislation can and can’t do. Children adapt quickly. Harmful content evolves constantly. And many of the threats are technical, not just legal.
That’s where innovators and startups come in. Not to replace regulation, but to help fill the gaps with tools that:
- Detect and block VPN usage
- Automatically filter uncategorised or suspicious domains
- Help parents create a realistic, holistic safety net around their children’s digital world
That’s exactly the gap we’ve been building for at Young Minds App. We help families block harmful content, build healthier screen habits, and stay informed as the digital world evolves.
A Role for Innovators and Policymakers to Work Together
This law sets important minimum standards. But it cannot solve everything. Ongoing protection from emerging threats requires more than regulation. It demands accountability, transparency, and active collaboration across sectors.
This isn’t the responsibility of one regulator or one startup. It requires partnership between parents, policymakers, educators, and technology builders. People working in the real world with real families.
The Takeaway
- Yes, this is progress. Rules are now enforceable, with real penalties for companies that ignore them.
- No, it is not a complete solution. VPNs, recommendation algorithms, and unmoderated material still shape what children see every day.
- Yes, we need a shared effort. Not separate attempts, but combined action from regulators, tech teams, schools, and families.
The question isn’t whether the rules have changed.
The question every parent is now asking is:
Are our children truly any safer yet?
Real Voices From Real Parents
These are not abstract concerns. Here’s what parents are saying on our community page, where thousands are reacting to the new law in real time:
“Let it sink in that most cartoons have adult content to keep the adults entertained too.”
– Amanda
Even hugely popular games like Roblox, which are marketed for young children, host thousands of mini-games. Some include explicit sexual content. Will platforms like this be covered under the new law? There are real grey areas.
“Most programmes nowadays leave little to the imagination. All the innuendos in children’s films ‘for the adults’ have a massive effect on children. It starts their curiosity much younger. Everything is centred around relationships and sex. Pornography is just the end point.”
– Sky Blu
This parent highlights how the media ecosystem as a whole, not just adult websites, shapes what children see and how early they are exposed.
These are the voices of families trying to make sense of a digital world that changes faster than policies can keep up.
