With just six months to go until the ICO’s Children’s Code comes into force, we’re urging organisations and businesses to make the necessary changes to their online services and products.

The Children’s Code sets out 15 standards organisations must meet to ensure that children’s data is protected online. The code will apply to all the major online services used by children in the UK and includes measures such as providing default settings which ensure that children have the best possible access to online services whilst minimising data collection and use.
However, we know that change will only come if designers and developers understand and engage with the code’s requirements. That’s why our sponsorship of the Festival of UX and Design is so important. It gives us the opportunity to have open conversations about the design challenges the code presents and approaches you could take to conform with the code.

We understand that, as designers, you’re frequently ahead of the curve when it comes to game or product design. We recognise the impact and power that design has on shaping experiences. You make important decisions about products and ultimately design the experience. This is why continued engagement between this industry and the ICO is so important, as the deadline for conforming with the code gets closer.

In the last six months, we’ve created a central hub on our website to help those looking for information about the code. This hub has the full code, detailed FAQs and a data protection impact assessment template for you to use. In the next six months, we’re mobilising a range of support for organisations, with specific support for product teams, designers and engineers to play their part in meeting the code. We’ll also be providing practical design ideas and participating in a number of online events.

We need your help in deciding what support and advice we can provide to you. We’d like to know what your main challenges are with the code, what your concerns are, and whether there are any tools that could support you or help you to feel more confident when designing and developing products that fall within the code’s scope.

Please get in touch via childrenscode@ico.org.uk – we’d love to hear from you.