Online Safety Conference 2026: Protecting Children and Young People from Online Harm

Supporters Include:

Overview:

While the Online Safety Act marked a significant step toward regulation, professionals in schools and children’s services still face challenges in applying and keeping pace with the law. With the ever-evolving digital landscape it is more critical than ever to build robust safeguarding strategies.

• Over 40% of teens say they’ve seen AI-generated sexual content or deepfakes involving someone they know (Thorn, 2025)

• 1 in 3 children aged 8–17 have encountered violent or hateful material online in the past year (Ofcom, 2025)

• 92% of children aged 11–16 use social media daily, but nearly half say it negatively affects their wellbeing (YoungMinds, 2025)

Join us at The Online Safety Conference 2026 where leading voices in policy, education, law enforcement, and child protection will explore the most pressing challenges in keeping children safe online. Through expert-led keynotes, practical case studies, and cross-sector collaboration, this event will offer strategies for tackling image-based abuse, radicalisation, misinformation, harmful algorithms, and AI-driven threats, while equipping professionals with tools to create digitally resilient and empowered young people.

✓  High-level keynotes on the latest initiatives on protecting children online from policymakers and leading experts
✓  Case studies showing best practice in strategies that implement school-wide policies on online safety and best safeguard children
✓  A wide range of topics including radicalisation online, providing support for children with SEND, and co-producing digital safeguarding strategies
✓  Network with senior colleagues from across the public and voluntary sectors
✓  Gain 8 hours of CPD points towards your yearly quota

Agenda

• 9.00am

  Registration

• 9.50am

  Chair’s Opening Remarks

  Boglarka Meggyesfalvi, Researcher, Child Online Harms Policy Think Tank, Institute for Connected Communities, University of East London (CONFIRMED)

  

• 10.00am

  Keynote: The Online Safety Act: From Policy to Practice

  • Understanding the Online Safety Act and implications for schools and safeguarding professionals in its implementation and development
  • Outlining potential pitfalls of the online safety act and how these can be addressed with young people
  • Translating policy into effective daily practice in schools, services and online platforms
  • Guidance on addressing challenges around enforcement and clarity across digital spaces

  Maeve Walsh, OSA Network Director, Online Safety Act Network (CONFIRMED)

  

• 10.20am

  Tech-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence: The Global Challenge of Non-Consensual Intimate Image Abuse

  • Understanding NCII as Gender-Based Violence: Why this abuse is a critical component of tech-facilitated harms.
  • The Scale and Impact: High-level overview of societal and individual consequences.
  • Roles and Responsibilities: How industry, NGOs, and multi-stakeholder collaboration can address NCII globally.
  • Looking Ahead: Future priorities, emerging risks, and opportunities for collective action.

  David Wright CBE, CEO, SWGfL and Director, UK Safer Internet Centre (CONFIRMED)

  

• 10.40am

  Keynote: Creating PSHE Curricula for Online Safety and Digital Wellbeing

  • Frameworks for embedding online safety into PSHE at all ages in line with statutory RSHE guidance
  • Guidance on navigating sensitive topics such as pornography, image-based abuse, identity-based hate, and self-image
  • Embedding a whole school approach to online safety

  Jenny Fox, Senior Subject Specialist, PSHE Association (CONFIRMED)

  

• 11.00am

  Questions and Answers

• 11.20am

  Comfort Break

• 11.35am

  Keynote: The Impact of Digitally Enabled VAWG and Online Misogyny

  • Outlining the rise of online misogyny, grooming, and digitally facilitated abuse
  • Understanding the influence of toxic online figures like Andrew Tate and the impact of influencer-led radicalisation on boys’ beliefs and behaviours
  • Strategies for supporting girls experiencing online misogyny, harassment, and gendered disinformation
  • Developing whole-community responses: coordinated strategies across schools, policing, youth services, and families
  • Promoting digital literacy and healthy masculinities in the classroom

  Professor Olga Jurasz, Director, Centre for Protecting Women Online & Professor of Law, The Open University (CONFIRMED)

  

• 11.55am

  Case Study: Understanding the Impact of Online Harms on Young People 

  Session details coming soon…

  Hannah Oertel, External Relations & Programme Innovation Manager, Brianna’s Legacy & Founder, Delay Smartphones (CONFIRMED)

  

• 12.15pm

  Case study: Children and AI

  • Exploring the use of AI by young people
  • Understanding young people’s experience of AI as well as their concerns
  • Reflection on Safer Internet Day 2026, with its focus on the safe and responsible use of AI
  • Practical approaches for professionals to educate young people about AI safety

  Will Gardner, CEO, Childnet (CONFIRMED)

  

• 12.35pm

  Questions & Answers 

• 12.55pm

  Lunch Break

• 1.35pm

  Breakout Networking: Tackling Emerging Online Harms Through Education and Safeguarding

  This interactive breakout session invites delegates to explore practical approaches to identifying and addressing new forms of online harm, including AI-generated abuse, deepfakes, and digital grooming. Participants will share current challenges and successes in embedding effective online safety education and safeguarding practices across schools, children’s services, and frontline settings.

• 2.00pm

  Keynote: Implementing the Online Safety Act

  • Understanding how the Online Safety Act protects children from harmful online content
  • Update on Ofcom’s implementation of the Online Safety Act
  • Deep dive on protections for children from specific kinds of content harmful to children, including online bullying and misogynistic hate and abuse

  Jennifer Lazarus, Protection of Children Policy Manager in the Online Safety Group, Ofcom (CONFIRMED)

  

• 2.20pm

  Case Study: The Dangers of AI Chatbots 

  • Outlining the rise of AI chatbots and why young people are turning to them for connection and advice
  • Understanding the risks associated with unmoderated conversations, including harmful advice, and inappropriate content
  • Practical approaches for professionals to educate young people about chatbot safety and build critical digital awareness
  • The importance of platform responsibility and how professionals can advocate for safer design and regulation

  Tara Steele, Founder and Director, The Safe AI for Children Alliance (CONFIRMED)

  

• 2.40pm

  Questions and Answers

• 3.00pm

  Comfort Break 

• 3.15pm

  Keynote: Tackling Misinformation and Extremist Content Online

  • Practical tips for teaching critical thinking and media literacy
  • Understanding legal-but-harmful content and how to address it in schools
  • Tools to educate young people about misinformation and polarisation

  Geoff Wells, RSHE and Citizenship Subject Lead, Oak National Academy (CONFIRMED) 

  

• 3.35pm

  Keynote: Working with Parents: Building Digital Resilience at Home

  • Guidance on supporting families to talk openly about digital risks
  • Practical tools to help parents monitor, guide, and support online activity
  • Strategies for strengthening parent-school partnerships and parental engagement

  Tom Pinfield, Assistant Education Manager, Childnet (CONFIRMED)

  

• 3.55pm

  Questions and Answers

• 4.15pm

  Chair’s Closing Remarks

  Boglarka Meggyesfalvi, Researcher, Child Online Harms Policy Think Tank, Institute for Connected Communities, University of East London (CONFIRMED)

  

• 4.25pm

  Conference Close 

Get in Touch

Speakers

Maeve Walsh

OSA Network Director

Online Safety Act Network

Jenny Fox

Senior Subject Specialist

PSHE Association

Professor Olga Jurasz

Director, Centre for Protecting Women Online & Professor of Law

The Open University

Hannah Oertel

External Relations & Programme Innovation Manager, Brianna’s Legacy & Founder

Delay Smartphones

Testimonials

Why You Should Attend

Why Attend:

✓  High-level keynotes on the latest initiatives on protecting children online from policymakers and leading experts
✓  Case studies showing best practice in strategies that implement school-wide policies on online safety and best safeguard children
✓  A wide range of topics including radicalisation online, providing support for children with SEND, and co-producing digital safeguarding strategies
✓  Network with senior colleagues from across the public and voluntary sectors
✓  Gain 8 hours of CPD points towards your yearly quota

Who Should Attend?

Pricing Options

Sponsorship

Raise Your Profile, Showcase Your Solutions, Generate New Business

If your products, services, and solutions can support our audiences in their roles, and you want to make connections and generate new business with key stakeholders, decision makers, and influencers, then please contact us HERE

IMPORTANT: There are only a small number of sponsorship opportunities available to ensure maximum exposure and ROI – contact us today to secure your place.

Virtual vs F2F

Whilst F2F provide better options for networking, there are many distinct advantages of sponsoring our online conferences including:

• Wider geographical reach of delegates and a different audience who prefer online to f2f
• Lower sponsorship package costs
• No travel/accommodation
• Less time out of the office
• No stand materials required (lower costs)
• 1 of only 2 sponsors involved – less competition on the day
• Prime speaking slot in the morning of the conference including Q&A – less distractions and easier for delegates to hear/absorb information
• Receive all delegate data after the conference to follow-up directly with those who attend and don’t attend (small % but still key stakeholders)
• Ongoing exposure via OnDemand access (coming soon)

To find out more and discuss your specific objectives, please contact us below: