Technology Secretary Peter Kyle has set out his priorities for Ofcom, as it prepares to implement and enforce the Online Safety Act next year.  The Act requires the government to issue a Statement of Strategic Priorities which Ofcom must consider when regulating under the Act. 

It has now been published, and includes the following key priorities:

  • Safety by design: Embed safety by design to deliver safe online experiences for all users but especially children, tackle violence against women and girls, and work towards ensuring that there are no safe havens for illegal content and activity, including fraud, child sexual exploitation and abuse, and illegal disinformation.
  • Transparency and accountability: Ensure industry transparency and accountability from platforms to deliver online safety outcomes, promoting increased trust and expanding the evidence-base to provide safer experiences for users.
  • Agile regulation: Deliver an agile approach to regulation, ensuring the framework is robust in monitoring and tackling emerging harms - such as AI generated content.
  • Inclusivity and resilience: Create an inclusive, informed and vibrant digital world which is resilient to potential harms, including disinformation.
  • Technology and innovation: Foster the innovation of online safety technologies to improve the safety of users and drive growth.

The Statement of Strategic Priorities will be laid in the UK Parliament for approval, before being formally designated by the Secretary of State. This is expected to take place in Spring next year.

The UK government has also launched a study to explore the effects of smartphone and social media use on children, aimed at enhancing research and strengthen the evidence needed to build a safer online world. This follows a review by the UK Chief Medical Officer in 2019 which found the evidence base around the links to children’s mental health were insufficient to provide strong conclusions. The project aims to improve policy makers understanding of the relationship between children’s well being and smartphone use and help direct future government action.

The government is open minded about considering a ban on smartphones and/or social media use for the under 16s. A private members' Safer Phones Bill, proposed by Labour MP Josh MacAlister, contains rules for banning social media for under-16s and is due to be debated in March. 

The government says that it is committed to implementing the Act as quickly and effectively as possible and has already acted to deliver safer experiences for people online. Ofcom has faced criticism for being too timid in its implementation of the Act, and this statement aims to set a stricter course.