Online safety research

Ofcom is the regulator for online safety in the UK. So, it's important for us to understand what people do online, how they can be exposed to harm and how it affects them.

Our research looks at specific aspects of online safety, particularly areas that aren’t as well understood or explored. It covers issues like illegal and harmful content, and the protection of children.

Here’s our latest work in this area:

Protection of children online, research
Published 15 March 2024

One Click Away: a study on the prevalence of non-suicidal self injury, suicide, and eating disorder content accessible by search engines
Published 31 January 2024

Assessing the risk of foreign influence in UK search results
Published 19 September 2023

ISD reports into online terrorism, violence and hate
Published 19 September 2023

Online content for use in the commission of fraud - accessibility via search services
Published 18 September 2023

Sale of prohibited items on search services
Published 18 September 2023

A model for understanding user journeys in online gaming environments
Published 4 April 2023

Exploring Safety in the Online Content Journey
Published 13 October 2021

The A-SPARC model of online platforms
Published 13 October 2021