United Kingdom: House of Lords approved Online Safety Act category thresholds with additional obligations based on platform size

On 25 February 2025, the House of Lords provided final approval to the thresholds for categorising digital services under the Online Safety Act, establishing criteria for Category 1, Category 2A, and Category 2B services. The regulations, based on Ofcom’s advice, set Category 1 thresholds at more than 34 million UK users with a content recommender system, or over 7 million UK users with forwarding or resharing functionalities. The categorisation determines additional duties for platforms, with Category 1 services required to implement enhanced safety measures, including transparency reporting, protection of journalistic content, and user empowerment tools. All regulated services, regardless of category, remain subject to illegal content and child safety duties. The approval enables Ofcom to proceed with publishing a public register of categorised services and to consult on draft codes of practice and guidance, contributing to the implementation of the Act and the broader regulatory framework for online safety in the United Kingdom.