The headline refers to the UK's Online Safety Act and the new rules being implemented and enforced by the UK's media watchdog, Ofcom.

The major changes, primarily focused on protecting children and tackling illegal content, include:

1. Robust Age Assurance and Verification
Preventing Access to Harmful Content: The riskiest services (those that host pornography or content encouraging self-harm, suicide, or eating disorders) must use "highly effective" age-check methods to prevent children from accessing the material.

These methods may include facial age estimation, photo ID matching, or credit card checks to verify a user is over 18.

2. Safer Algorithms and Feeds for Children
Filtering Harmful Content: Platforms must reconfigure their recommendation algorithms (which personalize content feeds) to filter out harmful content for child users.

This aims to stop children from being led down "rabbit holes" of content promoting self-harm, suicide, eating disorders, or other dangerous behaviours.

Platforms must take action to protect children from a wider range of harmful content, including bullying, hateful/abusive material, and dangerous challenges/stunts.

3. Faster Action on Illegal Content
Tackling Illegal Harms: Social media companies have a legal duty to implement systems and processes to prevent and take down illegal content like child sexual abuse material (CSAM), terrorism content, fraud, and explicit deepfakes.

Crisis Protocols: Platforms should have protocols to respond to rapid spikes in illegal content, such as during a crisis.

4. More Control and Support for Children
User Controls: Platforms must give children more control over their online experience, such as the ability to block, mute, disable comments, and decline group chat invitations.

Reporting: Companies must provide clear and easy-to-use reporting and complaints processes for children and parents.

Enforcement
Massive Fines: Companies that fail to comply with the new duties face fines up to 10% of their annual global revenue (which could be billions for the largest tech firms) or £18 million, whichever is higher.

Service Blocking: In the most extreme cases of non-compliance, Ofcom can apply to the courts to block access to the service in the UK.

Senior Manager Liability: There is also a threat of criminal action against senior managers who fail to ensure their company complies with certain information requests from Ofcom.

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