The UK's Online Safety Act: reshaping communities?

Chris Meredith at Xsolla evaluates the probable effects of the UK’s Online Safety Act

 

For decades, the video game industry has been on the front lines of online community management. Long before social media platforms faced public scrutiny, multiplayer games were grappling with real-time voice chat, player-generated content, and user behaviour that could turn toxic quickly. From early online lobbies to today’s massive live-service games, developers have learned that safety, moderation, and design are deeply intertwined.

 

Now, the UK’s Online Safety Act brings that conversation into the mainstream. The legislation places sweeping responsibilities on platforms to reduce harmful content and user behaviour, not only in static posts but across all types of digital interaction, including the fast-moving, unpredictable environments familiar to game developers.

 

While the act is intended to create safer online spaces, it also introduces a regulatory model that may unintentionally push platforms toward restrictive, homogenised design unless it accounts for the complexity of different online communities.

 

 

Real-time interaction and user-generated content

One of the most complex aspects of the UK’s Online Safety Act is its applicability to all forms of user-generated content, including real-time interactions such as livestreams, chat features, and voice communication. These formats pose significant moderation challenges. Harmful behaviour in a livestream, for instance, unfolds too quickly for conventional moderation tools to intercept in real time. Similarly, voice chat - especially in multiplayer games often lacks automated filters that can reliably detect abusive language or nuanced harassment. 

 

This reality presents a dilemma. To comply with the act’s broad obligations, platforms may feel compelled to limit or even eliminate features that are difficult to moderate. The result could be a shift toward safer, more controlled forms of interaction - delayed comment systems, restricted chat access, or heavily filtered content, which may compromise spontaneity, creativity, and authentic community engagement. 

 

 

What the games industry has already learned

The video game industry offers critical insight into how this tension might be resolved as one of the earliest sectors to contend with large-scale online interaction, particularly in multiplayer settings, game developers have spent years learning how to balance freedom with safety.

 

From toxicity in voice chat to griefing and harassment in competitive matches, developers have built layered systems that go beyond content moderation. Community management, player reporting, reputation scoring, and smart design restrictions are all used to shape behaviour proactively. Some games use in-game incentives to encourage positive conduct; others limit communication in ways that maintain user autonomy while reducing risk. 

 

The key lesson from gaming is that safety is a design challenge as much as a moderation one. It’s not just about removing harmful content, but about structuring interactions in a way that discourages harm in the first place. These strategies are now more relevant than ever, and platforms outside gaming could benefit significantly by adapting them. 

 

 

Potential for positive change

Despite its challenges and criticism, the UK’s Online Safety Act has the potential to drive much-needed innovation. By raising the bar for accountability, it may encourage platforms to invest in smarter, more thoughtful community tools. This could lead to a new generation of online environments that are not only safer but also more intentional in how they foster interaction.

 

There is also an opportunity to professionalise community management as a discipline. With regulation spotlighting the social responsibilities of platforms, moderation may evolve into a more integrated and respected field, rather than an afterthought. 

 

The act could catalyse collaboration between regulators, platforms, and sectors like gaming, where decades of experience managing complex communities can inform broader policy decisions. Done well, this cooperation could lead to a more balanced internet - one where safety and expression are not opposing forces but built shared priorities. 

 

 

Avoiding a one-size-fits-all future

To realise this potential, regulators and platforms must resist the urge to standardise safety in ways that overlook context. Not all communities function the same, and a blanket approach to harmful content could stifle the diversity that makes the internet meaningful. 

 

A creative livestream community, a competitive gaming clan, and a parenting forum each have different dynamics, expectations, and risks. Effective safety design must reflect this. The video game sector has shown that with the right tools and understanding, it is possible to maintain vibrant, unpredictable, and safe digital spaces without sacrificing their spirit.

 

The UK’s Online Safety Act is a bold step forward. But to ensure it enhances - not diminishes - online life, the path ahead must be one of balance: regulation informed by real-world experience, safety embedded in design, and communities empowered to thrive on their terms.  

 

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Chris Meredith is SVP Business Development - EMEA at Xsolla

 

Main image courtesy of iStockPhoto.com and baona