Useful links
Official UK resources relevant to the interpretation, application and enforcement of the Online Safety Act 2023
Official United Kingdom sources specific to the Online Safety Act 2023 that a practitioner is likely to need day to day, grouped by type and ordered by likely usefulness. All links were checked on 19 September 2026.
1. The legislation
- Online Safety Act 2023, latest available version on legislation.gov.uk legislation.gov.uk
- Online Safety Act 2023: Explanatory Notes legislation.gov.uk
- Crime and Policing Act 2026 (amends the Act; some provisions not yet in force) legislation.gov.uk
- Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (amends the Act) legislation.gov.uk
2. UK guidance
- Online safety regulatory documents and guidance: the current codes, risk assessment guidance, registers of risks, content guidance and enforcement guidance (Ofcom) ofcom.org.uk
- Guide for services: how to comply with the online safety duties (Ofcom) ofcom.org.uk
- Important dates for online safety compliance (Ofcom) ofcom.org.uk
- Statement: Protecting people from illegal harms online (Ofcom, 16 December 2024, updated) ofcom.org.uk
- Statement: Protecting children from harms online (Ofcom, 24 April 2025) ofcom.org.uk
- Statement: Age assurance and children’s access (Ofcom, 16 January 2025) ofcom.org.uk
- Statement: New priority offences, serious self-harm and cyberflashing (Ofcom, 25 June 2026) ofcom.org.uk
- Online Safety Act: explainer (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology) gov.uk
- Online Safety Act collection (GOV.UK) gov.uk
- Statement of strategic priorities for online safety (Secretary of State, section 172) gov.uk
3. Statutory codes of practice
- Illegal content Codes of Practice for user-to-user services (Ofcom, section 41; issued 24 February 2025) ofcom.org.uk
- Illegal content Codes of Practice for search services (Ofcom, issued 24 February 2025) ofcom.org.uk
- Protection of Children Code of Practice for user-to-user services (Ofcom, issued 4 July 2025) ofcom.org.uk
- Protection of Children Code of Practice for search services (Ofcom, issued 4 July 2025) ofcom.org.uk
4. Notification and reporting
5. Regulators and authorities
- Ofcom: online safety ofcom.org.uk
- Online Safety Enforcement Guidance (Ofcom, 20 March 2026) ofcom.org.uk
- Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (GOV.UK) gov.uk