Ofcom is the regulator for the communications services that we use and rely on each day.
As people communicate seamlessly online and offline, we now need to invest our efforts into making digital communications work for everyone
Ofcom wants to understand how adults and children in the UK use media.
Under the Online Safety Act, Ofcom's job is to make online services safer for the people who use them. We make sure companies have effective systems in place to protect users from harm.
Ofcom is committed to a thriving telecoms sector, where companies can compete fairly and customers benefit from a broad range of services.
Ofcom's job is to make sure there is a universal postal service.
You can't see or feel radio spectrum, but we use it every day. Our job is to authorise and manage the use of spectrum in the UK.
We make sure that broadcasters provide quality TV, radio and on-demand programmes that appeal to diverse audiences. We also have rules in place to protect viewers and listeners from harm.
How to make the most of communications services as a small business.
How to make the most of the services you use, and deal with problems.
Proposals we are consulting on and decisions we've made.
How we make sure companies follow our rules, to protect customers and promote competition.
Rules, guidance and other information for the industries we regulate.
If you're looking to use certain radio equipment, or broadcast on TV or radio, you'll need a licence from Ofcom.
Our latest news, features, views and information about our work.
Evidence we gather to inform our work as a regulator.
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Showing 1 - 27 of 35
Published: 21 January 2025
Ofcom is focused upon making sure regulated services are taking action to drive improvements online. This is our online safety industry bulletin that highlights key things that services need to know and do, providing links to key publications and guidance.
Published: 27 February 2024
Last updated: 21 January 2025
The Online Safety Act makes businesses responsible for keeping people, especially children, safe online. Here’s what you need to know and do now.
This page outlines that we’ll sometimes access regulated online services as part of our work to make online services safer for the people who use them.
Published: 16 December 2024
The tool is divided into four steps that follow Ofcom’s risk assessment guidance. Following these steps will help you to comply with the illegal content risk assessment duties, and the linked safety duties and record-keeping and review duties.
Published: 23 February 2024
Last updated: 16 January 2025
The Online Safety Act has introduced new rules on robust age checks that services must follow to protect children
Published: 7 May 2024
Children’s access assessments are a new assessment that all user-to user-services and search services (‘Part 3 services’) regulated under the Online Safety Act must carry out to establish whether a service – or part of a service – is likely to be accessed by children.
Published: 16 July 2024
Last updated: 17 December 2024
If you allow pornography on your online service, this page is for you. It explains what you need to know about the Online Safety Act and what you need to check to ensure you follow the rules.
Published: 9 November 2023
Last updated: 16 December 2024
One way services can keep their users safe is to adopt the measures in our codes of practices. Find out what measures we've proposed in our draft codes.
This is the first of Ofcom’s policy Statements that Ofcom, as regulator of the Online Safety Act, will publish as part of our work to establish the new regulations.
Under the Online Safety Act, most regulated services will have to carry out a risk assessment. Find out what this means for you.
Published: 17 October 2024
The Online Safety Act makes companies that operate a wide range of online services legally responsible for keeping people, especially children, safe online. If you provide an online service, there are actions you must take when duties come into force. This page explains the important milestones.
Published: 11 January 2024
Last updated: 30 October 2024
A list of video-sharing platform (VSP) services that have notified to Ofcom.
How Ofcom plans to issue information notices to relevant providers for the purpose of categorisation.
Published: 26 October 2023
Last updated: 17 October 2024
Our plans for putting online safety laws into practice, and what we expect from tech firms.
The Online Safety Act (OSA) makes businesses, and anyone else who operates a wide range of online services, legally responsible for keeping people (especially children) in the UK safe online.
Last updated: 16 September 2024
What the repeal of video-sharing platform rules means for providers.
Published: 23 July 2024
Ofcom is exploring how online services could employ safety measures to protect their users from harm posed by GenAI.
Deepfakes are audio-visual content that has been generated or manipulated using AI, and that misrepresents someone or something. New generative AI tools allow users to create wholly new content that can be life-like and make it significantly easier for anyone with modest technical skill to create deepfakes.
Last updated: 11 June 2024
This page summarises proposals we are consulting on – we will update this information when final documents are in place. Please note that this quick guide is intended to introduce your children’s risk assessment duties. Our guidance will set out your legal responsibilities in full.
Under the Online Safety Act, services that are likely to be accessed by children have new duties to comply with to protect children online. One way they can do that is to adopt the safety measures in Ofcom’s codes of practices.
Published: 1 May 2024
How Ofcom and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) intend to collaborate in regulating online services.
Published: 27 March 2024
Under section 101 of the Online Safety Act, Ofcom has the power to support a coroner’s or procurator fiscal’s investigation into the death of a child.
Use our tool to find out if the rules are likely to apply to you, and what you can do next.
Published: 25 January 2024
Ofcom’s approach and plan of work around video sharing platforms (VSP) – websites and apps, established in the UK, that allow users to share video, such as TikTok, OnlyFans and Twitch.
This guidance is designed to help video-sharing platform providers assess whether their service is in scope and needs to be notified to us.
Published: 9 August 2023
Last updated: 11 December 2023
This report shines a light on platforms’ approaches to designing and implementing their terms and conditions to protect users and highlights what we consider to be examples of good practice. It is the first of a series of VSP reports we will publish in 2023.
Published: 25 July 2022
Last updated: 12 October 2023
This guide answers some questions you might have about how we regulate video-sharing platforms (VSPs).
