Ofcom has already introduced its first set of codes on illegal harms, and its Protection of Children Code will come into force in July 2025. Building on this work, Ofcom is now consulting on a further set of targeted safety measures designed to make online services safer by design.
The proposals respond to calls for stronger action on known risks and are part of Ofcom’s ongoing commitment to act quickly and proportionately in delivering the online safety regime. The consultation sets out its proposals across several areas, including:
Stopping illegal content going viral:
Ofcom wants to reduce the spread of illegal content by making improvements to recommender systems and crisis response protocols.
Tackling harms at the source:
Ofcom is proposing the expanded use of proactive technologies, such as hash matching to block known illegal images, and automated tools to detect harms like fraud, and illegal suicide content. It also proposes to address repeat offending through new user sanctions.
Affording protections to children:
Ofcom is consulting on:
- Strengthening protections for children, including restrictions on interactions in livestreams and making more use of highly effective age assurance
- Recommending that services block access to users who share child sexual abuse material (CSAM)
- Recommending the use of proactive technologies to detect grooming and CSAM.
The consultation ends on 20 October 2025
