Online Safety
Ofcom is the UK’s regulator for online safety.
Using our powers under the Online Safety Act, it’s our job to make online services safer for the people who use them. We make sure companies have effective systems in place to protect users from harm, and are taking steps to make their services safer.
Our regulatory objectives are to protect children and vulnerable users, reduce illegal and harmful content, embed safety by design in digital services, and drive transparency and accountability across platforms.
Online services and apps are integral to our daily lives. They help us to work, learn, create, collaborate, and communicate, as well as offering a range of ways to entertain us. But these same services are also potentially exposing users to harmful content – from online scams to hate speech and illegal extremist communication, bullying and harassment to child sexual exploitation and abuse.
The UK’s online safety regulation covers around 100,000 sites and apps, across social media, search, dating, gaming and pornography.
Our approach is based on evidence and adapting quickly to what safety measures prove most effective in a rapidly developing field of regulation.
Online safety teams
Our online safety group includes the following teams, each with its own specialism and expertise:
- Online Safety Policy Development
- Online Safety Supervision
- Online Safety Technology
- Online Safety Tech Policy
- Online Safety Data & Intelligence
- Online Safety Strategy
