United Kingdom: Office of Communications opened investigation into provider of Teen-Chat over alleged failure to comply with duties under Online Safety Act

On 21 April 2026, the Office of Communications (Ofcom) opened an investigation into the provider of Teen-Chat to assess compliance with duties under the Online Safety Act 2023, pursuant to Sections 9, 10, and 20. The investigation covers the completion of a suitable and sufficient illegal content risk assessment, particularly in relation to child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA) risks, and compliance with illegal content safety duties relating to prevention and mitigation of priority illegal content, effective content moderation and reporting mechanisms, and systems and processes to protect child users from illegal harm. The illegal content duties came into force on 17 March 2025. Ofcom engaged with the provider prior to opening the investigation, and despite the provider completing and submitting an illegal content risk assessment and introducing some changes to the service, Ofcom continues to have concerns about compliance with the Online Safety Act 2023. Where compliance failures are identified, Ofcom may impose fines of up to GBP 18 million or 10% of qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater, and may seek a court order requiring third parties to withdraw services from or block access to a regulated service in the UK.