United Kingdom: Office of Communications adopted guidance on women and girls' online safety for user-to-user services implementing Online Safety Act

On 25 November 2025, the Office of Communications (Ofcom) adopted guidance for technology firms to improve the online safety of women and girls. The guidance is designed to assist such firms with the execution of their obligations under the Online Safety Act 2023, which makes platforms (such as social media, gaming services, and dating apps) legally responsible for protecting UK citizens from illegal content and content harmful to children, including harms that disproportionately impact women and girls. The guidance outlines nine action areas to this end, highlighting existing codes and outlining both foundational and “good practice” steps to address each one. The first three focus on the theme “taking responsibility” and include provisions concerning recommended internal governance and accountability processes, conducting risk assessments, and transparency. The next three focus on “preventing harm”, and cover mechanisms such as safer default settings, product testing with a focus on abusability, and reduction of harmful content. The last three focus on “providing support” and include user controls allowing customisation of the online experience, allowing user reports of online gender-based harms, and developing effective company responsiveness when harms occur. The guidance also includes definitions of specific forms of violence and clarifications on how platforms should provide protections for women and girls with freedom of speech and privacy rights, following a consultation conducted in February 2025. A follow-up report will be published by Ofcom in 2027.