This is Ofcom’s first report on the state of online safety in the UK since important parts of the Online Safety Act (‘the Act’) came into force in 2025.
Service providers now have a comprehensive set of duties to protect people in the UK from criminal content, and children from a range of online harms. Our report shows how service providers have responded to these new duties and the areas industry must focus on in the year ahead.
The new rules set a high bar for services to keep people in the UK safe. During the year, people will have noticed changes in several areas towards a safer online world. But there is a great deal more to be done, and new technology and content trends pose additional risks.
Service providers must now go further. In 2026 we expect service providers to shift from taking initial compliance steps to delivering meaningful, measurable improvements for their users. To achieve this change, in 2026 industry must focus on:
- Making sure that age checks are effective
- Stronger child protections
- Preventing child sexual abuse and grooming
- More effective removal of terror and illegal hate content
- Safer experiences for women and girls
- Clearer risk oversight.