Ofcom gives progress update on UK’s Online Safety Act

Two months out from online safety laws coming into force, Ofcom has warned tech firms they could face enforcement action if they don’t comply with new duties when the time comes. 

Today, Ofcom has provided an update on its progress in implementing the Online Safety Act and set out what to expect over the next year.

The Online Safety Act was passed in October 2023. When fully in force, it will place new legal duties on platforms available in the UK. Before Ofcom can enforce these duties, it is required to consult publicly on codes of practice and guidance.

In the space of six months, it consulted on its codes and guidance for illegal harms, pornography age verification and children’s safety, and submitted its advice to Government on the thresholds that would determine which services will be ‘categorised’ and subject to additional duties.

Ofcom claims it has already secured better protections from UK-based video-sharing platforms. These include OnlyFans and other adult sites introducing age verification; BitChute improving its content moderation and user reporting; and Twitch introducing measures to stop children seeing harmful videos.

Meta and Snapchat have made changes that Ofcom proposed in its illegal harms consultation to protect children from grooming. These include Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat introducing changes to help prevent children being contacted by strangers; and Instagram’s ‘Teen Accounts’ to limit who can contact teens and what they can see.

Says Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom’s Chief Executive: 

“The time for talk is over. 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.

“We’ve already engaged constructively with some platforms and seen positive changes ahead of time, but our expectations are going to be high, and we’ll be coming down hard on those who fall short.”