The UK’s platform safety law: services must tackle illegal content, including intimate-image deepfakes, and protect children. Enforced by Ofcom since 2025.
The Online Safety Act requires user-to-user and search services to assess and reduce the risk of illegal content and to protect children, and pornography providers to use strong age checks. Sharing intimate images without consent, including deepfakes, is a priority offence that services must tackle, and since 29 June 2026 they must remove reported intimate images within 48 hours.
AI chatbots are covered only when they are part of a user-to-user service, search across sites, or can generate pornography. Ofcom can fine up to £18 million or 10% of qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is higher. In 2026 Parliament gave ministers a power to bring more AI chatbots into scope, but no regulations have been made yet.
Key dates
Royal Assent
Illegal-content duties enforceable
Children’s safety duties apply
Ofcom opens investigation into X over Grok deepfakes
Ministers gain power to bring more AI services into scope (no regulations yet)
Duty to remove reported intimate images within 48 hours applies
Ofcom narrows X investigation to illegal-content duties (news reports)
Corrected which services have risk-assessment vs age-check duties; added 48-hour intimate-image takedown duty, chatbot power (no regulations yet) and Ofcom narrowing X probe; extra primary sources