Horsham social care leader in warning over Online Safety Act

David Holmes, the founder of Big Life Adventure – a new online platform for people with learning disabilities – says the act risks shutting out vulnerable people from the digital world.

He has written to communications regulator Ofcom warning that the act discriminates against people with learning disabilities and autism.

Under the Act, which came into force in July, social media platforms must carry out strict age checks to keep children away from harmful content. While no single method has yet been prescribed, options include ID checks and AI face recognition.

David says that these systems are unworkable and points out that many people with learning disabilities may not have passports or driving licences and that AI facial recognition tools could misjudge the age of people with Down Syndrome or autism.

Complex, multi-step verification processes can also be confusing, inaccessible, and anxiety-inducing, he says. “Age verification requirements are disproportionately restrictive for people with learning disabilities, many of whom struggle with formal identification systems.”

And, he said, this risked excluding them entirely from safe, well-moderated digital communities such as Big Life Adventure. He founded the on-line platform in a bid to tackle a ‘huge gap’ between the lives of people with learning disabilities and the rest of society.

Big Life Adventure, he says, provides a safe, inclusive space where users can connect, express themselves and build friendships. Its built-in AI tool Big Life Buddy is designed to detect and flag illegal or harmful content and harassment before posts go live and to provide in-platform education to help users reword or rethink messages.