No silver bullets: A safer online world won’t happen without long-term change

12 September, 2025: Wherever you live, whatever your line of work, it’s been difficult to avoid the increased discussion around online safety in the UK.

While recently, much of this has centred on issues such as the introduction of the Online Safety Act’s age verification checks, social media bans and deciding when it’s appropriate to buy your child their first phone, it’s worth taking a broader view.

Because, despite what some headlines would have you believe, online safety isn’t simply a case of cocooning our children in bubble wrap. It’s about creating an internet that is safer by design.

Until we can reach this point, however, it’s also about educating and supporting families so they can navigate today’s internet safely. That way, children can take advantage of the many benefits the online world brings.

After all, the risks posed by today’s technology often make it easy to overlook how access to the online world can offer countless opportunities, particularly for young people.

In our increasingly connected society, it enables them to complete schoolwork, stay in touch with friends and family, and develop essential skills for their future.

But, to turn this into a reality, we all need to work together to ensure these benefits come without unnecessary risks, ensuring the spaces our children frequent are designed safely, with their wellbeing placed front and centre.

Process is progress

Achieving meaningful online safety, however, will take time. And it won’t be easy. Which is no surprise when you consider how long it has taken for the online world to develop – from the tools and platforms themselves to the habits and norms of the people that use them.

The internet, social media and smartphones have all gone through various iterations over the course of their existence. New versions, models and patches, all designed to improve upon what came before.

And it shows no signs of stopping. As technologies and the way people use them keep evolving, so must the online safety guardrails that we have in place.

In fact, the last decade or so has not only shown the necessity, but also the potential of a long-term, step-by-step approach to online safety measures.

While the introduction of age verification earlier in 2025 was labelled a ‘seatbelt moment’ by some, the Online Safety Act itself dates back to at least 2017.

Then, the introduction of an Internet Safety Strategy green paper posed the question: ‘how can we ensure Britain is the safest place in the world to be online?’

From the preceding Online Harms White Paper in 2019 to the Online Safety Bill being introduced to Parliament in 2021, today’s legislation is a product of numerous consultations, proposals and amendments.

As one former Ofcom policy manager explained recently, when drafting the regulatory guidance, the body purposely took a “principles-based approach”. This approach – broadly speaking – is where the desired outcomes are spelled out, but the specific means and technologies of achieving those outcomes are not.

This was done to help future proof the guidance provided to tech companies – a smart choice given the fast-moving nature of the online world it intends to regulate.

The Act, therefore, is a living, breathing entity. And, like all worthwhile legislation, it will be a process, not a silver bullet. It marks a significant step forward, but the real test will be in how it’s implemented and evolved over time.

Safety by design

At the heart of the Online Safety Act sits an idea that we at Vodafone – and now VodafoneThree – have been campaigning in support of for some time now.

‘Safety by design’ means building platforms with harm prevention in mind from the outset, rather than adding safeguards after problems arise. As a result, it requires a thoughtful design of processes and services to reduce risk from the very start.

Our children’s online environment has, historically, not been designed this way. Giving them access to it without these in-built guardrails, therefore, is a classic case of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. Which is what makes the latest device from HMD so notable.

The new ‘HMD Fuse protected with HarmBlock+’ is a real example of ‘safety by design’. Launched exclusively by VodafoneThree for customers across Vodafone and Three and designed with feedback from more than 37,000 parents and children globally, it’s a device that can effectively grow with your child.

For example, you can ‘unlock’ access to apps, such as those for social media, but only once you feel your child is ready. In other words, it can start out as a simple “brick phone” and slowly become a full smartphone – all at a parent or guardian’s discretion.

Added to this is HarmBlock+, a first-of-its-kind, on-device AI technology that’s built into the operating system and camera, with the aim of helping prevent explicit content from being captured, created, shared or stored.

With one in five 11-17-year-olds having felt pressured into sharing an explicit image of themselves, this particular feature embodies the ‘safety by design’ principles that we have long called for in the online safety space.

Because, without the right safeguards, when you give a child a phone, you give them access to the entire online world. A world that itself is not safe by design.

But, by creating technology that can grow alongside a child’s experience and maturity, we can better prioritise safety without limiting opportunity.

After all, this is ultimately what online safety is all about: allowing young people to experience the benefits of digital technologies, without risking their health or wellbeing in the process.

Act with care

As important as developments like the Online Safety Act and the HMD Fuse are, these are all still just starting points on the journey to a newer, safer online world.

Whether that new, safer world emerges or not depends on all of us. We must work together, not just to amend and improve the legal frameworks and technologies that dominate the headlines about online safety, but to address the many underlying social issues that get less airtime – from digital literacy to mental health impacts.

Nor must we give in to our fears of technology. Our latest research shows that the vast majority (93%) of parents support their child having a device and access to the internet, recognising the benefits they can bring. Collectively, it’s our job to ensure these benefits aren’t lost in the process of creating a safer online world for children.

Admittedly, the journey there will be long, complex and challenging. But if it helps to better protect children from the dangers that exist online, it will certainly be an undertaking that we will be glad to have started.