The Online Safety Act Is Live … But Are You Ready For It?

Here’s 3 things you need to know.

Let’s cut to the chase: The UK Online Safety Act is now law. 

And if your brand runs any kind of digital platform, from social media to forums, e-learning, or creator tools, this affects you.

This isn’t guidance. It’s now your legal obligation.

Fail to comply? You’re looking at serious fines, public damage, and platform takedowns. Ignore it, and you don’t just fall behind … you risk everything you've built.

So here’s what you need to know (and do) right now:

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1. Illegal Content? You’re Expected to Catch It (Before It Hits)

You are now legally required to detect and remove illegal content before users ever see it. 

We’re talking about:

• Child exploitation material
  
  
• Terrorism-related content
  
  
• Deepfake porn
  
  
• Hate speech
  
  
• Scams & fraud
  
  
• Harassment & threats
  
  

Bottom line: If it’s illegal in the real world, it’s illegal online. And it’s your job to stop it.

2. If Children Use Your Platform, You Need Real Protection

It’s even more critical now for brands to ensure their products are safe when they are being used by a younger audience. The Act makes sure of this. 

The Act makes it mandatory to:

• Set up age checks and assurance systems
  
  
• Block harmful or age-inappropriate content
  
  
• Moderate risky interactions
  
  
• Build tools that actually protect young users
  
  

If you don’t know how exposed your platform is to under-18s, now is the time to find out! 

3. Transparency Isn't Optional, It's the New Standard

The Act now requires:

• Clear reporting tools for users
  
  
• Structured complaints and appeals handling
  
  
• Transparent moderation logs
  
  
• Regular risk assessments
  
  
• Public reporting (if you're a larger platform)
  
  

Whether you have 10 users, or 10 million, you need to show you’re in control.

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Why We Care About All Of This

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At Freedom2hear, we’ve been building for this moment long before the law forced the issue.

We give brands:

• Real-time AI moderation across text, images, video, and audio: we understand the context (think the meaning behind the emoji - we see more that other solutions)
  
  
• Full moderation logs to stay audit-ready (and no one loves an audit)
  
  
• Dashboards and reports that make compliance easy (we make things simple)
  
  
• Age-aware moderation tools for child-focused spaces (we take online safety seriously)
  
  
• Built-in reporting and appeal systems that show you care and comply (we make the complicated simple)
  
  

We help platforms go beyond compliance… We help them lead the way in digital safety.

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Why This Actually Matters

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This isn’t just about legal boxes to tick. It’s about protecting real people: your users, your talent, your brand.

We've seen the damage hate, bullying, and abuse can do online. We’ve worked with footballers, creators, and entire platforms who have lived it.

And we’ve always believed: you shouldn't need legislation to do the right thing.

But now the law has caught up. So there are no more excuses.

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Get In Touch To see How Compliant You Actually Are

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If you’re a platform owner, brand manager, or digital product lead, this is your responsibility.

The law is here. The risks are real. And we’re ready to help you. 

Let’s get your platform protected.

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