Ofcom has published an update on its implementation plans for the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA), setting out when a number of key milestones are expected to take place.

For the remainder of the year, Ofcom identifies three milestones. First, it will publish guidance on improving women and girls’ online safety on 25 November. Second, it will consult on draft guidance concerning the disclosure of information about a deceased child’s use on a categorised service’s platform. Third, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology will set the threshold of qualifying worldwide revenue above which services will be required to pay fees (previously discussed here).

Looking ahead to next year, Ofcom expects to publish its final guidance on super-complaints (the consultation on which we discussed here) in February 2026. Later in spring, it plans to publish its final statement of recommendations for how platforms should promote media literacy.

By the summer, Ofcom intends to publish the categorisation register and consult on the additional duties that apply to categorised services. This consultation – expected to be published in July – will cover duties relating to fraudulent advertising, terms of service, user empowerment, ID verification, news publisher content, journalistic content, and content of democratic importance. At the same time, Ofcom will issue notices requiring categorised services to publish transparency reports and publish a report assessing how effectively services have used age assurance.

Into the autumn and winter, Ofcom plans to publish its statement on additional safety measures on which it launched a consultation this year (discussed here), and the Online Information Advisory Committee will publish its first statutory report.

Finally, Ofcom notes the recent additions to the list of ‘priority offences’ under the OSA (discussed, among other places, here) and states that it is “considering how [it] can give effect to these changes as soon as possible”.

To read the update in full, click here.