UK child online safety: consultation open to 26 May

It’s Easter Sunday, 5 April 2026. Between hunts for chocolate and calls from relatives, there’s also likely to be a fair bit of scrolling. If you’re wondering what your child is seeing online, you’re not alone-and a calm, curious chat this weekend can make a real difference.

The government’s new ‘You Won’t Know until You Ask’ resources are built for exactly this moment. They offer simple conversation starters and practical safety tips so you can ask open questions such as “What did you see today?” and “Who posted it-and why do you think they did?”. The toolkit launched on 10 February and sits on the Kids Online Safety hub, with clear advice you can use straight away, according to GOV.UK and the hub itself. (gov.uk)

Early signs show parents are using it. DSIT says more than 120,000 families have already visited since February, with thousands setting weekly reminders to check in with their children-useful if you’d like this to become a habit rather than a one‑off. Those figures come from Microsoft Clarity and InVibes data cited by the department. (gov.uk)

Alongside the toolkit, ministers are asking families to help shape the next set of rules. The open consultation-Growing up in the online world-runs until Sunday 26 May 2026 and asks for views on measures such as a legal minimum age for social media (for example 13 or 16), overnight curfews on addictive features, age‑restrictions on tools like infinite scroll and autoplay, and tighter rules for AI chatbots used by children. There are tailored versions for parents and for children and young people. (gov.uk)

What this means for you: you should not shoulder this alone. The consultation text on GOV.UK is clear that the legal duty to make services safe sits with industry, while parents set boundaries that fit their child. So yes-talk and support-but know the system is being asked to do more, too. (gov.uk)

If you want to try something today, keep it light and short. Sit together and ask one or two open questions about what they’ve watched, played or scrolled past, and whether anything felt confusing or unkind. If your child is happy to show you, explore safety settings together. Setting a weekly check‑in-five minutes on a Sunday evening-can help keep these chats normal and judgment‑free. The government’s campaign materials are designed to help you do exactly that. (gov.uk)

For younger children, new official guidance focuses on healthy habits rather than blame. The Best Start in Life page says under‑2s should avoid screens except for shared moments like video‑calling family. For ages 2–5, try to keep screen time to about an hour a day, and protect sleep by keeping the hour before bed screen‑free. The page also suggests keeping bedrooms and mealtimes for connection, not screens. (beststartinlife.gov.uk)

If you teach or work with young people, a short tutor‑time activity can build media‑literacy without scaremongering. Invite pupils to discuss how features like infinite scrolling and autoplay keep them watching, then ask how those features could be limited for younger users. The consultation even defines these terms in plain English, which makes a handy class reference. (gov.uk)

A note on pace: DSIT says it will move quickly once the consultation closes, and it has already logged tens of thousands of responses. That makes this Easter‑to‑May window a genuine chance to influence decisions-especially on questions such as minimum age and time limits on attention‑grabbing features. (gov.uk)

Your next steps can be simple. Try a five‑minute chat this weekend, use the free prompts if you’d like a script, and, when you have time, add your family’s voice to the consultation before Sunday 26 May. Small, regular conversations at home-and clear, evidence‑led rules for platforms-work best together.