United Kingdom: Office of Communications opened consultation on statutory report on age assurance under Online Safety Act

On 3 November 2025, the Office of Communications (Ofcom) opened a stakeholder consultation until 1 December 2025 to gather evidence for its statutory report on the use and effectiveness of age assurance under the Online Safety Act 2023. The consultation seeks information on the deployment of age assurance by regulated services to comply with section 12 and Part 5 duties to prevent children from encountering primary priority content and protect them from other harmful content. Ofcom requests evidence concerning technical accuracy, proportionality, user experience, and alignment with data protection requirements, including possible barriers such as cost, privacy, and interoperability constraints. Inputs are also requested on the governance of complaint mechanisms and enforcement through default design. Responses will inform Ofcom’s statutory report due by July 2026, assessing whether existing age assurance measures effectively mitigate online harms to children.