UK Online Safety Act 2023
The UK Online Safety Act 2023, which makes Ofcom the regulator of user-to-user, search and pornography services: illegal content duties (in force March 2025), children's access assessments and child safety duties (in force July 2025), additional duties for categorised services (register published July 2026, several duties awaiting Ofcom codes), CSEA reporting, transparency, fees and new communications offences. 38 leaves read against the enacted text with commencement status.
UK Online Safety Act 2023 is a compliance framework from United Kingdom with 5 domains and 38 controls that map to 21 other frameworks. The largest domains are Part 3 Chapter 2: duties of care for user-to-user services – UK Online Safety Act 2023 (13 controls), Part 3 Chapter 3: duties of care for search services – UK Online Safety Act 2023 (8 controls), Parts 4 to 6: other provider duties – UK Online Safety Act 2023 (8 controls). Every control below carries what it requires and what an assessor expects to see.
Framework summaries on this platform are interpretations grounded in the published source, for educational and compliance planning purposes. They do not reproduce or replace the official standards. Refer to the authoritative source for the definitive text. Framework names and trademarks belong to their respective organisations.
Framework Domains (5)
Part 10: communications offences – UK Online Safety Act 2023
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.179 | False communications offence |
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.181 | Threatening communications offence |
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.183 | Sending or showing flashing images |
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.184 | Encouraging or assisting serious self-harm |
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.187 | Sending a photograph or film of genitals (cyberflashing) |
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.188 | Sharing or threatening to share intimate images |
Part 3 Chapter 2: duties of care for user-to-user services – UK Online Safety Act 2023
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.10 | Safety duties about illegal content (user-to-user) |
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.11 | Children's risk assessment (user-to-user) |
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.12 | Safety duties protecting children (user-to-user) |
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.14 | User empowerment assessment (Category 1) |
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.15 | User empowerment duties (Category 1) |
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.17 | Protecting content of democratic importance (Category 1) |
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.18 | Protecting news publisher content (Category 1) |
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.19 | Protecting journalistic content (Category 1) |
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.20 | Content reporting (user-to-user) |
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.21 | Complaints procedures (user-to-user) |
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.22 | Freedom of expression and privacy (user-to-user) |
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.23 | Record-keeping and review (user-to-user) |
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.9 | Illegal content risk assessment (user-to-user) |
Part 3 Chapter 3: duties of care for search services – UK Online Safety Act 2023
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.26 | Illegal content risk assessment (search) |
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.27 | Safety duties about illegal content (search) |
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.28 | Children's risk assessment (search) |
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.29 | Safety duties protecting children (search) |
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.31 | Content reporting (search) |
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.32 | Complaints procedures (search) |
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.33 | Freedom of expression and privacy (search) |
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.34 | Record-keeping and review (search) |
Part 3 Chapters 4 and 5: children's access assessments and fraudulent advertising – UK Online Safety Act 2023
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.36 | Children's access assessments |
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.38 | Fraudulent advertising duties (Category 1) |
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.39 | Fraudulent advertising duties (Category 2A) |
Parts 4 to 6: other provider duties – UK Online Safety Act 2023
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.64 | User identity verification (Category 1) |
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.66 | Reporting CSEA content to the National Crime Agency |
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.71 | Acting against users only under the terms of service (Category 1) |
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.72 | Further duties about terms of service |
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.75 | Information for parents of deceased child users |
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.77 | Transparency reporting (categorised services) |
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.81 | Age assurance for provider pornographic content (Part 5) |
| uk-online-safety-act-2023::s.83 | Fees: notifying Ofcom and paying fees (Part 6) |
Your Compliance Coverage
If you comply with UK Online Safety Act 2023, you already cover:
Maps to 21 other frameworks
Coverage is not the same as your position
This page shows what UK Online Safety Act 2023 overlaps with in general. Where your organisation actually stands, against the standard you are going for and the certifications you already hold, is a different question. Same graph and the same recorded refutations, scoped to you rather than to a pair.
The Compliance Position Diagnostic, $5,000 fixed, ten business daysWhat is UK Online Safety Act 2023 and who does it apply to?
UK Online Safety Act 2023 is a compliance framework from United Kingdom with 5 domains and 38 controls. The UK Online Safety Act 2023, which makes Ofcom the regulator of user-to-user, search and pornography services: illegal content duties (in force March 2025), children's access assessments and child safety duties (in force July 2025), additional duties for categorised services (register published July 2026, several duties awaiting Ofcom codes), CSEA reporting, transparency, fees and new communications offences. 38 leaves read against the enacted text with commencement status. It is used by organisations to establish and maintain compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements.
What does UK Online Safety Act 2023 actually require?
UK Online Safety Act 2023 has 38 controls organised across 5 domains. The largest domains are Part 3 Chapter 2: duties of care for user-to-user services – UK Online Safety Act 2023 (13 controls), Part 3 Chapter 3: duties of care for search services – UK Online Safety Act 2023 (8 controls), Parts 4 to 6: other provider duties – UK Online Safety Act 2023 (8 controls). Each control defines specific requirements that organisations must implement to achieve compliance.
If I already comply with another framework, how much of UK Online Safety Act 2023 do I already cover?
UK Online Safety Act 2023 maps to 21 other compliance frameworks. The top mapping partners are Australia Online Safety Act 2021 (11% coverage), Australia eSafety Commissioner - Online Safety Expectations for Industry (5% coverage), API 1164 (4% coverage). Use our comparison tool to explore control-level mappings between frameworks.
How do I implement UK Online Safety Act 2023?
Start your UK Online Safety Act 2023 compliance journey by running a self-assessment on our platform to identify your current compliance posture. Our AI advisory can answer specific questions about UK Online Safety Act 2023 requirements, and cross-framework mapping helps you leverage existing controls from other frameworks you may already comply with. Create a free account to access all 38 controls and track your progress.
Start Your Compliance Journey
Create a free account to run self-assessments, get AI advisory, and track your compliance progress across 1,121 frameworks.
Get Started Free →Free forever, no credit card required