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.
The first new duties will take effect around the end of 2024. For more details, check our updated roadmap. Our guide New rules for online services explains who the rules apply to, how to check if your service is in scope, and what the new rules mean.
All dates reflect our current expected timings and this page contains the latest dates available. Some dates could change as we continue to address issues raised by stakeholders and the Government puts in place the necessary secondary legislation. To stay updated on Online Safety roadmap dates, subscribe to our online safety briefing.
What are you looking for?
The tables below contains key milestones, some are compulsory duties whilst responding to consultations is optional. The 'To note' table sets out additional milestones you may be interested in.
Duties and actions
This table sets out the main Online Safety duties and what this means in practice for your online service. If you do not meet the deadlines for compliance, Ofcom can take enforcement action against your service under the Online Safety Act 2023. Please note, all dates reflect our current expected timelines and may change.
- Start Date: The date or timeframe that this milestone will occur.
- Milestone: The main Online Safety milestones you will need to act on.
- Description/Action: The milestone and any action you must take.
- Who should act?: This outlines who the milestone is relevant to.
- All OS services: All user-to-user services and search services in scope of the Act.
- VSP services: This refers to Notified Video Sharing Platforms (all pre-existing, UK established VSPs – platforms that meet the scope and jurisdiction criteria under Part 4B of the Communications Act 2003).
- OS Categorised Services: A small proportion of services will be categorised and designated as category 1, 2A or 2B services if they meet certain thresholds set out in secondary legislation by Government. For ease of use we refer to ‘categorised services’ in the table.
- Publishers of pornographic content: This means pornography services in scope of the duties in Part 5 of the Act.
- OS Services likely to be accessed by children: All regulated user-to-user services and search services that are ‘likely to be accessed by children’ (and have to comply with duties relating to protection of children) within the meaning of the Act.
- Completion date: Deadline or end date for the milestone.
You can search for keywords such as the type of service you are (e.g ‘All OS services’), relevant legal duties (‘risk assessment’) or topics ('children').
Duties and actions
| Start Date | Milestone | Description/Action | Who should act? | Completion date | Useful links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | Ofcom publishes illegal content risk assessment guidance and first version of illegal harms codes of practice | Carry out illegal content risk assessment. | All OS services including VSPs |
Mid-March 2025 We will expect specific services to disclose their risk assessments to us from 31 March 2025. |
Quick guide to illegal content risk assessments - Ofcom |
| March 2025 | Illegal Harms Codes of Practice comes into force | Comply with the illegal content safety duties | All OS services | N/A | Quick guide to illegal content codes of practice - Ofcom |
| January 2025 | Ofcom publishes children's access assessment guidance | Carry out children's access assessment | All OS services including VSPs |
April 2025 |
Quick guide to children’s access assessments - Ofcom |
| January 2025 | Ofcom publishes final guidance on age assurance for pornography providers | Read guidance and prepare to implement age assurance. | Publishers of pornographic content (services in scope of part 5 duties). | N/A | Quick guide to rules about online pornography - Ofcom |
| January/TBC 2025 | Government commences online safety duties on age assurance for publishers of pornographic content | Comply with age assurance duties. | Publishers of pornographic content (services in scope of part 5 duties). | N/A | Implementing the Online Safety Act: Protecting children from online pornography - Ofcom |
| January-March 2025 | Ofcom publishes final guidance on transparency reporting for services likely to be categorised | Services to note available guidance with a view to prepare for reporting requirements. Requirements will only apply categorised services. | All OS services (transparency duties will only apply to categorised services) | N/A | Consultation: Draft transparency reporting guidance - Ofcom Annext A Draft transparency guidance |
| April 2025 | Ofcom publishes children's risk assessment guidance and first version of the protection of children codes of practice | Carry out children's risk assessment. | OS services likely to be accessed by children, including VSPs |
July 2025 We will expect specific services to disclose their risk assessments to us from 31 July 2025. |
Quick guide to children’s risk assessments: protecting children online - Ofcom |
| June-July 2025 | Ofcom publishes register of categorised services | The register will determine which services are categorised. Services will have the opportunity to respond to consultations about the additional duties for categorised services, and will need to prepare to comply with those duties as they come into force. | OS Categorised services | TBC | Online service categorisation: information notices |
| July 2025 | Protection of Children Codes of Practice come into force | Comply with children safety duties | OS services likely to be accessed by children | N/A | A quick guide to Children’s Safety Codes - Ofcom |
| August-November 2025 | Ofcom issues draft and final transparency notices to categorised services | Categorised services respond to transparency notices | OS Categorised services | TBC | N/A |
Consultations
This table sets out when our upcoming consultation will be published and the deadline for submitting a response. Please note, all dates reflect our current timelines and may change.
- Start Date: The date or timeframe that this milestone will occur.
- Milestone: The main Online Safety consultations you may wish to read and respond to.
- Description/Action: Further details and suggested action for this consultation.
- Who is this most relevant to?: While our consultations are public and we accept responses from anyone, we have explained the types of services the consultation proposals are particularly relevant to, to help services understand when they are most likely to want to read the consultation and respond.
- All OS services: All user-to-user services and search services in scope of the Act.
- VSP services: This refers to Notified Video Sharing Platforms (all pre-existing, UK established VSPs – platforms that meet the scope and jurisdiction criteria under Part 4B of the Communications Act 2003).
- OS Categorised Services: A small proportion of services will be categorised and designated as category 1, 2A or 2B services if they meet certain thresholds set out in secondary legislation by Government in 2025. For ease of use we refer to ‘categorised services’ in the table.
- Publishers of pornographic content: This means pornography services in scope of the duties in Part 5 of the Act.
- OS Services likely to be accessed by children: All regulated user-to-user services and search services that are ‘likely to be accessed by children’ (and have to comply with duties relating to protection of children) within the meaning of the Act
- Completion date: Deadline or end date for the consultation response.
You can search for keywords such as the type of service you are or the topic of a consultation.
Consultations
| Start Date | Milestone | Description/Action | Who will this be of most interest to? | Completion date | Useful links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 October 2024 | Consultation on fees and penalties | Give feedback on fees consultation (optional) | All OS Services including VSPs | 9 January 2025 | Online Safety - fees and penalties |
| December 2024 | Consultation on the CSEA/terrorism Technology Notices power | Give feedback on CSEA/terrorism consultation (optional) | All OS services including VSPs | TBC | N/A |
| February 2025 | Consultation on guidance on protecting women and girls | Give feedback on protecting women and girls consultation (optional) | All OS services including VSPs | TBC | N/A |
| April - June 2025 | Consultation on additional measures for Codes of Practice (illegal harms and protection of children) | Give feedback on additional measures consultation (optional) | All OS services including VSPs | TBC | N/A |
| October 2025 -March 2026 | Consultation on additional duties on categorised services | Categorised services to give feedback on additional duties' consultation (optional) | OS Categorised services | TBC | Implementing the Online Safety Act: Additional duties for ‘categorised’ online services - Ofcom |
To note
This table sets out dates of other Online Safety milestones you may wish to note. Please note, all dates reflect our current timelines and may change.
- Start Date: The date or timeframe that this milestone will occur.
- Milestone: The main Online Safety milestones to note.
- Description/Action: Further details and suggested action.
- Who should take note?: We have explained the types of services the milestones or proposals are particularly relevant to.
- All OS services: All user-to-user services and search services in scope of the Act.
- VSP services: This refers to Notified Video Sharing Platforms (all pre-existing, UK established VSPs – platforms that meet the scope and jurisdiction criteria under Part 4B of the Communications Act 2003).
- OS Categorised Services: A small proportion of services will be categorised and designated as category 1, 2A or 2B services if they meet certain thresholds set out in secondary legislation by Government. For ease of use we refer to ‘categorised services’ in the table.
- Publishers of pornographic content: This means pornography services in scope of the duties in Part 5 of the Act.
- OS Services likely to be accessed by children: All regulated user-to-user services and search services that are ‘likely to be accessed by children’ (and have to comply with duties relating to protection of children) within the meaning of the Act.
- Completion date: Deadline or end date for the milestone.
You can search for keywords such as the type of service you are, type of publication or topic.
To note
| Start Date | Milestone | Description/Action | Who should take note? | Completion date | Useful links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June- July 2025 | Ofcom publishes Researcher Access report | Services to note Researcher Access report (optional) | All OS services including VSPs | N/A | Call for evidence: Researchers’ access to information from regulated online services - Ofcom |
| May- July 2025 | Ofcom publishes Media Literacy Statement | Services to note Media Literacy Statement (optional) | All OS services including VSPs | N/A |
Read more about our media literacy work here |
| (TBC) Q3 2025 | VSP repeal date shared | Secretary of State to set the VSP repeal date | VSPs | TBC | N/A |
| (TBC) Q3 2025 | Repeal of the VSP regime | VSPs to become fully subject to the OS Act | VSPs | TBC | Repeal of the VSP regime: what you need to know - Ofcom |
Resources
- Ofcom's approach to implementing the Online Safety Act - Ofcom
- New rules for online services: what you need to know - Ofcom
- Ofcom Regulation Checker
- Repeal of the VSP regime - what you need to know.
- Adults only - what to do if your online service allows pornography
- Implementing the Online Safety Act: Additional duties for ‘categorised’ online services - Ofcom