Online Safety Act and Mumsnet

[GasperyJacquesRoberts]

I've just read the UK Government Online Safety Act guide and the impression I get (as someone who is not a lawyer) is that Mumsnet could very well be classed as a service to which it applies. Mumsnet is an online forum on which content that could be seen as harmful for children - eg discussions of sex acts, eating disorders, self-harm, suicide etc - is available. And as far as I can see, Mumsnet does not do any age verification to ensure that such content is restricted to adults who are consenting to see it.

Can I ask what advice Mumsnet has received about its responsibilities under this act and if there is the likelihood that either Mumsnet is going to either be much more rigorous about its content moderation, and/or the introduction of age-verification technology for Mumsnet posters?

Hello, @GasperyJacquesRoberts. Yes, Mumsnet is covered by the Online Safety Act, and we take our responsibilities under it very seriously. We've been doing a lot of work behind the scenes to make sure we’re meeting the requirements, including updating our Terms of Service and our moderation processes.

With regards to the Child Safety Codes (which includes the regulations around age verification), they only apply to sites that are likely to be accessed by children (or sites that host the most potentially harmful content for children - for example porn sites). The Ofcom guidance makes it clear that Mumsnet doesn’t fall into that category – we’re very much aimed at adults, our T&Cs clearly say the site is for over-18s, and we’re not designed in a way that’s likely to attract younger users.

That said, this is clearly an area where the regulations are still evolving, so we’re keeping a close eye on developments to make sure we’re fully complying with the law.

Thanks for asking.