Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 Part 3

Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026: Part 3

This article, the final instalment of our review of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, focuses on Part 3, which details a major expansion of child online safety powers.

Part 3 of the Act signals a major shift in how HM Government intends to regulate children’s online lives. While the Online Safety Act 2023 largely focused on requiring platforms to remove harmful content and manage online risks, Part 3 goes much further.

The legislation increasingly moves towards direct regulation of how children access and use online services in the first place. At its core is a growing belief that online safety cannot rely solely on parental supervision, platform self-regulation or reactive moderation after harm has already occurred. Instead, the direction of travel is towards platforms being designed differently for children, with stronger protections and restrictions built directly into services themselves.

One of the most significant developments is the creation of new powers allowing the government to require internet services to prevent or restrict children’s access to certain online services or features.

Importantly, these powers are not limited to banning entire apps or platforms. The legislation also allows restrictions on specific functionalities such as direct messaging, livestreaming, video chat, location-sharing and stranger contact. Different restrictions may also apply to different age groups, meaning future governments could introduce separate rules for under-13s, under-16s and under-18s.

This marks a major shift in approach. Increasingly, the legislation focuses not simply on harmful content itself, but on platform design, patterns of use and reducing exposure to online risk before harm occurs.

Creating the Framework for Future Restrictions

Perhaps the most important feature of Part 3 is that much of the legislation creates enabling powers for future regulation rather than introducing immediate blanket restrictions.

HM Government gains powers to introduce measures such as screen-time controls, overnight restrictions, stronger child safety settings, tighter age assurance systems and limits on risky online interactions. In practice, the legislation is laying the legal foundations for much more interventionist online child safety regulation over the coming years.

This is particularly significant because the Act explicitly links these powers to the consultation, Growing up in the online world: a national consultation. That connection strongly suggests these powers are intended to be actively developed rather than simply held in reserve.

Much of the practical detail will ultimately be determined through secondary legislation and future regulatory frameworks rather than directly within the Act itself. The legislation therefore acts as a broad legal framework capable of significant future expansion as technology, safeguarding concerns and online risks continue to evolve.

Ofcom’s Expanding Role

Another major shift within Part 3 is the growing role of Ofcom in child online safety regulation.

The legislation gives Ofcom stronger responsibilities around research, advice, risk assessment and supporting future regulation development. This reflects a broader move towards a much more regulated online environment where platform design, safety systems and child access controls are increasingly subject to formal regulatory oversight.

At the same time, enforcement powers are strengthened significantly. Platforms that fail to comply with future child safety requirements could face formal regulatory action, financial penalties and increased scrutiny from Ofcom.

Taken together, these reforms suggest the UK is moving towards a far more proactive and interventionist online safety regulatory model.

Part 3 is also significant because it attempts to prevent these new powers from remaining unused indefinitely.

The legislation creates legal deadlines requiring the Government to publish progress statements, explain implementation timelines and introduce draft regulations within specified periods. If deadlines are missed, ministers must publicly explain delays to Parliament.

This matters because governments often create broad future powers that are never fully implemented. In this case, the Act creates both the powers themselves and a legal mechanism designed to maintain pressure for future action.

The overall message is clear: child online safety reform is intended to become an active and ongoing regulatory programme rather than a symbolic future possibility.

A New Approach to Digital Age Limits

Another highly significant aspect of Part 3 concerns children’s personal data and the ‘digital age of consent’.

The legislation gives the government powers to change the age at which children can consent to online services processing their personal data, introduce different age limits for different services and require stronger age verification systems.

Currently, the UK’s general digital age of consent is 13. Under the new framework, future governments could potentially introduce higher age thresholds for social media, different rules for messaging or livestreaming platforms and stronger parental consent requirements for some services.

This creates a highly flexible regulatory framework capable of expanding significantly in the future.

Age Verification and Platform Accountability

Part 3 also signals a major move towards stronger age assurance and age verification systems.

The legislation allows future regulations requiring platforms to verify user ages, implement technical age checks and strengthen safeguards linked to children’s access. The wider direction of travel is increasingly clear: self-declared ages and minimal platform checks are no longer viewed as sufficient safeguards for children online.

At the same time, the legislation reflects growing concern about addictive platform design, online grooming, livestreaming risks, harmful algorithms, contact risks and children’s exposure to harmful or exploitative online environments. Increasing concern around AI-driven recommendation systems and algorithmic amplification of harmful content also sits behind many of the wider reforms.

Importantly, the Act also protects access to counselling, mental health and safeguarding support services by excluding some preventative and support services from strict age-verification requirements. This reflects recognition that safeguarding support must remain accessible to children and young people.

Overall, Part 3 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 represents a major expansion of state powers in relation to child online safety and digital regulation.

Most significantly, the legislation moves beyond the idea that platforms should simply remove harmful content after it appears. Instead, the Act increasingly focuses on preventing exposure to risk, regulating platform design, restricting unsafe features, strengthening age controls and reducing harmful online interaction before exploitation or harm occurs.

Many of the provisions are enabling powers designed to support future regulation, meaning the full impact of Part 3 is likely to emerge gradually over the coming years through secondary legislation and Ofcom regulation.

The direction of travel is clear: the UK is moving towards a far more interventionist model of child online safety, where online platforms are expected to build child protection directly into how services operate rather than relying primarily on parental oversight or reactive moderation after harm has already taken place.

Sam Preston (Safeguarding Director) & Sara Spinks (SSS Author and Former Headteacher)

8 June 2026