The Online Safety Act: Protecting the Digital Generation Roundtable

UKAI convened a parliamentary roundtable at the House of Lords on 30th March 2026, chaired by Baroness Uddin, bringing together representatives from technology companies, education, child safety organisations, academia, and youth advocacy groups to discuss the impact of social media and artificial intelligence on young people. The roundtable was held to inform the Government’s ongoing consultation on social media and young people, which is currently seeking views on whether further action is needed to protect children online.

The discussion took place at a particularly important moment in the policy debate. The UK’s Online Safety Act represents one of the most significant attempts globally to regulate digital platforms and protect users from online harm, but the challenge now lies in how the legislation is implemented, enforced, and adapted to a rapidly changing technological landscape. With AI increasingly shaping what young people see online through recommendation algorithms, content moderation systems, and generative tools, many participants noted that online safety and AI policy are now closely linked and cannot be considered separately.

A central theme throughout the discussion was responsibility. Much of the conversation focused on where responsibility for online safety should sit with platforms, government, parents, schools, or society more broadly. There were differing views in the room, particularly around the question of whether social media should be restricted or banned for under-16s, but there was broad agreement that platform design, algorithmic amplification, and engagement-driven business models are playing a significant role in shaping young people’s online experiences.