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ARTICLE · 17 FEBRUARY 2026

The ICO Steps Up On Protecting Children Online

Lewis Silkin
Lewis Silkin
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Lewis Silkin

Lewis Silkin

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Organisations offering online services likely to be accessed by children in the UK must meet clear duties aimed at protecting minors online.

United KingdomPrivacy
Zahra Laher
Zahra Laher
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Organisations offering online services likely to be accessed by children in the UK must meet clear duties aimed at protecting minors online. The ICO's Children's Code (Age Appropriate Design Code) translates these duties into practical "design principles and privacy features" (for more information see our article here). A key requirement under the Children's Code is appropriate age assurance i.e. tools and approaches that estimate or verify a user's age so that safeguards can be tailored or access restricted where necessary. Alongside this, the Online Safety Act 2023 imposes a "legal duty to protect children online" such as "using effective age assurance" methods. Together, these approaches place the child's best interests at the forefront of online services.

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