United Kingdom: Office of Communications published Children’s Risk Assessment Guidance and Children’s Risk Profiles

On 24 April 2025, the Office of Communications (Ofcom) published the Children’s Risk Assessment Guidance and associated Children’s Risk Profiles, providing instructions and supporting information for providers of regulated user-to-user and search services to comply with their duties under the Online Safety Act 2023. This guidance outlines the process for conducting children's risk assessments, which are required to assess the risks of harm to children from various types of content. The guidance sets out a four-step risk assessment process to evaluate the likelihood and impact of children encountering primary priority content, priority content, and non-designated content. Providers must consider Ofcom's Children's Risk Profiles and identify relevant risk factors, as well as gather and analyse evidence to make evidence-based assessments of risk levels. The guidance also requires periodic reviews and updates to the risk assessments, especially in response to significant changes or new evidence.