Online Safety Act
Source: gov.uk (2025-07-23)

The Online Safety Act received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023.

The Online Safety Act 2023

The Online Safety Act 2023 (the Act) protects children and adults online. It puts a range of new duties on social media companies and search services, giving them legal duties to protect their users from illegal content and content harmful to children. The Act gives providers new duties to implement systems and processes to reduce risks their services are used for illegal activity, and to take down illegal content when it does appear.

Illegal Content

As of 17 March 2025, platforms have a legal duty to protect their users from illegal content online. Ofcom are actively enforcing these duties and have opened several enforcement programmes to monitor compliance.

Child Safety

As of 25 July 2025, platforms have a legal duty to protect children online. Platforms are now required to use highly effective age assurance to prevent children from accessing pornography, or content which encourages self-harm, suicide or eating disorder content.

Platforms must also prevent children from accessing other harmful and age-inappropriate content such as bullying, hateful content and content which encourages dangerous stunts or ingesting dangerous substances. Platforms must also provide parents and children with clear and accessible ways to report problems online when they do arise.

A full explanation of how the Act works, and how it protects different groups is available in the Online Safety Act explainer (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/online-safety-act-explainer/online-safety-act-explainer).

Ofcom has also created a guide for parents (https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/how-ofcom-is-helping-children-to-be-safer-online-a-guide-for-parents).

The role of Ofcom

Ofcom is the independent regulator for Online Safety. It sets out steps providers can take to fulfil their safety duties in codes of practice. It has a broad range of powers to assess and enforce providers’ compliance with the framework.

Ofcom has strong enforcement powers (https://www.ofcom.org.uk/enforcement?query=&SelectedTopic=67866&SelectedSubTopics=&ContentStatus=&UpdatedAfter=&UpdatedBefore=&SortBy=Newest), including the ability to investigate non-compliance, impose fines of up to 10% of qualifying worldwide revenue, and in the most serious cases of non-compliance, apply to the courts to block services.

Ofcom guidance

Ofcom’s regulatory guidance and links to their work to protect users online. This information helps businesses, parents, and the public understand the Act’s requirements and implementation timeline.

Ofcom’s online safety enforcement (https://www.ofcom.org.uk/enforcement?query=&SelectedTopic=67866&SelectedSubTopics=&ContentStatus=&UpdatedAfter=&UpdatedBefore=&SortBy=Newest)

Guide for services: complying with the Online Safety Act (https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/guide-for-services)

Ofcom’s approach to implementing the Online Safety Act (https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/roadmap-to-regulation)

Statement: Protecting children from harms online (https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/statement-protecting-children-from-harms-online)

Statement: Protecting people from illegal harms online (https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/statement-protecting-people-from-illegal-harms-online)

How Ofcom is helping children to be safer online – a guide for parents (https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/how-ofcom-is-helping-children-to-be-safer-online-a-guide-for-parents)

Statement: Online Safety - fees and penalties (https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/consultation-online-safety-fees-and-penalties)