PrivacyRules is honoured to welcome Steve Wood, former Deputy Director at the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and researcher at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), for a new Privacy Espresso exploring UK and EU regulation of children’s privacy and online safety.
The discussion examines regulatory perspectives, recent developments and the findings of research conducted in this rapidly evolving area.
Since 2017, the UK has introduced a wide range of regulations governing the digital environment. But how are these rules changing children’s experiences online?
The Centre for Digital Futures for Children at LSE has conducted a research project assessing changes in children’s safety and privacy across 70 platforms, including social media services, AI chatbots and gaming platforms. The research considers these developments against the backdrop of the UK Online Safety Act, the Age Appropriate Design Code and the EU Digital Services Act.
It also examines wider evidence concerning the effectiveness of these changes and considers how transparency mechanisms, including audit reporting under the EU Digital Services Act, operate in practice. Each report includes recommendations for governments, regulators, NGOs, researchers and online platforms.
The findings have been published in two reports, released in May 2024 and May 2026, and a third phase of the project is currently being planned.
In this new episode of the Privacy Espresso Series, Steve discusses the research’s principal findings. The conversation also explores:
▪️ How regulators view current trends in children’s privacy and online safety
▪️ What changes the research has identified at platform level
▪️ How transparency and audit mechanisms operate in practice
▪️ What governments, regulators, NGOs, researchers and platforms should do next
▪️ What changes the research has identified at platform level
▪️ How transparency and audit mechanisms operate in practice
▪️ What governments, regulators, NGOs, researchers and platforms should do next
📄 Watch this Privacy Espresso to discover how a former regulator interprets the latest developments in children’s privacy and online safety, and how research in the field continues to evolve.
You can also explore more of Steve’s work here.