"If I had voted, I would have voted for Reform."

He has a point. End-to-end encryption means law enforcement feels it is in effect blinded when it comes to child exploitation material. If they can’t see the material, they can’t identify suspects and victims. The spread of disinformation remains unchecked on some platforms. Age verification is not yet robust. And a key emerging issue is the misuse of AI, for example in sextortion scams targeting young people.The Act is meant to be “technology neutral” and regulates the harmful effects of any new tech. But it’s not yet clear how it deals with new AI products.

Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom’s Chief Executive, rejects much of the criticism.“From December, tech firms will be legally required to start taking action, meaning 2025 will be a pivotal year in creating a safer life online.”“Our expectations are going to be high, and we’ll be coming down hard on those who fall short.”

So, are children becoming safer online thanks to the OSA?The reality is that the big tech platforms are transnational and only a global approach can force meaningful change. The OSA is just one part of a global jigsaw puzzle of laws and legal action.

But pieces of that puzzle are still missing and it’s in those jagged gaps where the threat to children still lies.

What connects a dad living in Lahore in Pakistan, an amateur hockey player from Nova Scotia - and a man named Kevin from Houston, Texas?When I met Elliot he was one of those people keen to enter the workforce after finishing his education.

But now he’s lost hope. So what went wrong?On leaving school, Elliot had initially been offered a place at a college near home, which his parents said was “wholly inappropriate”. It was for three days a week and designed for people with autism, but Elliot is not autistic. So they took their local authority, North Tyneside Council, to a tribunal.

For disabled people, there can be stark differences in access to quality education.A study from the Education Policy Institute think tank found there were “deeply concerning” inconsistencies in how children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) are supported, while disabled individuals are three times less likely to hold any qualifications than their non-disabled peers and face disproportionate barriers to access higher education.