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The Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA) was designed to impose responsibility for online harms on the platforms that design and operate online services, but its success depends heavily on Ofcom's ability to turn a complex statute into practical, enforceable rules. That isn't an easy thing to do – Ofcom has had to build a new supervisory regime from the ground up, manage high public and political expectations, address rapidly changing technologies and harms such as AI-generated content and chatbots, and navigate tensions between safety, freedom of expression, privacy and innovation.
The House of Lords Communications and Digital Select Committee has now launched a new inquiry into the implementation, enforcement and impact of the OSA. It contains 14 key questions. The Committee says that the OSA was intended to bring about a step change in protection against online harms in the UK. Many of the rules it introduced are now in force and a year has passed since key duties to protect children came into effect in July 2025.
However, serious concerns have been raised that the regime is currently ineffective. Ofcom, the regulator charged with its implementation and enforcement, has faced criticism for not going far enough or fast enough in its efforts to hold online services and tech companies to account. At the same time, new harms continue to emerge as technologies evolve.
The inquiry is accepting submissions until 7 September. It comes at a significant point in the development of UK online safety regulation. Some of the perceived shortcomings may reflect the scale and novelty of Ofcom's task, including the staged implementation of the OSA, the need to prioritise enforcement activity, the difficulty of assessing systemic platform risks, and the speed with which new forms of harm can emerge. Others may point to deeper questions about whether the legislation gives Ofcom the right tools, flexibility and mandate to respond effectively. The Committee's work may help to clarify whether the current problems are mainly matters of implementation, enforcement appetite or legislative design.
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