Ofcom Enforces Online Safety Act as Tech Giants Face New UK Compliance Deadlines
The UK's Online Safety Act is now in force, with regulator Ofcom imposing a series of phased compliance deadlines on technology companies operating in Britain — and warning that non-compliance could result in fines of up to £18 million or 10 per cent of global revenue.
The legislation, which has been years in the making, places legal duties on tech firms to protect UK users from illegal and harmful content. Ofcom is overseeing a structured rollout that began with illegal content risk assessments and is now moving into child safety protections.
Key Deadlines
Under Phase 1, all in-scope providers were required to complete illegal harms risk assessments by March 2025. Phase 2, which focuses on child safety, came into force in July 2025, requiring services likely to be accessed by children to implement "highly effective" age assurance measures to prevent exposure to pornography and content promoting self-harm.
Phase 3, which will identify the largest and riskiest services as Category 1, 2A, and 2B platforms, has been delayed until July 2026. These categorised services will face the most stringent obligations, including transparency reporting and additional content moderation requirements.
Background
The Online Safety Act was passed in 2023 after years of parliamentary debate, driven by concerns about the impact of harmful online content on children and vulnerable adults. Ofcom was designated as the lead regulator, with powers to investigate breaches and levy substantial financial penalties.
Why It Matters
For UK internet users, the Act represents the most significant overhaul of online regulation in a generation. For technology companies, it creates new compliance obligations that will require significant investment in content moderation, age verification, and reporting systems. The delayed categorisation of the largest platforms has drawn criticism from child safety campaigners, who argue that the biggest risks come from the most widely used services.
What's Next
Ofcom is expected to publish its register of categorised services in mid-2026, at which point the full weight of the Act's obligations will fall on the largest platforms. For full details, see Ofcom's official guidance.
