UK Parliament launches inquiry into Online Safety Act enforcement effectiveness

This inquiry signals a potential legislative pivot if the Committee finds Ofcom's current enforcement of the Online Safety Act insufficient. For streaming services and social platforms, this could mean tighter compliance timelines or more prescriptive safety mandates beyond the existing Codes of Practice. The focus on 'emerging harms' suggests the UK may seek to regulate AI-generated content or algorithmic feeds more aggressively if current self-assessment models are deemed ineffective. Watch for the publication of evidence in late 2026 for early indicators of whether the government will seek to amend the primary 2023 legislation.

The inquiry coincides with the first anniversary of Phase 2 of the Online Safety Act's rollout. Since July 25, 2025, services accessible to children have been required to conduct mandatory risk assessments and implement age-assurance measures. According to data from Proton VPN, the UK saw one of the largest global spikes in VPN sign-ups following the 2025 implementation date, as reported in its 2025 year-end summary. This suggests an uptick in user-side circumvention of the Act's age verification requirements, an area of potential focus for the Committee.

Regulatory pressure on tech platforms has expanded simultaneously through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, which received Royal Assent in April 2026. Per Reed Smith, this newer legislation grants the government secondary powers to impose more specific restrictions on children's digital access, such as overnight curfews or limits on screentime, without passing new primary laws. These powers allow the Secretary of State to act independently of general OSA frameworks to address immediate child safety concerns.

Further tightening occurred in early 2026 when the Home Office designated serious self-harm and cyberflashing as 'priority offences,' forcing platforms to proactively remove such content. Additionally, per The Guardian (July 2026), Ofcom recently proposed new requirements for major platforms like YouTube and X to block fraudulent advertisements and scam accounts. These overlapping regulatory milestones reflect a transition from the Act's initial 'theory' phase into a more aggressive enforcement period where non-compliance can trigger fines of up to 10% of global turnover.