UK regulator proposes updates to Online Safety Act guidance

Ofcom has launched a consultation on proposed updates to its regulatory framework under the UK’s Online Safety Act, following the introduction of new priority offences targeting serious self-harm and cyberflashing. The changes reflect a shift in how harmful online behaviours are classified and addressed within the UK’s digital safety regime.

The regulator plans to revise key guidance documents, including risk assessment frameworks, risk profiles and codes of practice, to align with the updated legal definitions. Encouraging or assisting serious self-harm, previously treated as a non-priority offence, will now be grouped with suicide-related harms under a single category of ‘suicide and self-harm’, requiring platforms to assess and manage risks more comprehensively.

Cyberflashing, defined as the unsolicited sending of explicit images, will be introduced as a separate category of priority illegal harm. Platforms will be required to assess risks linked to such content and implement appropriate safeguards.

Ofcom also proposes updating its Register of Risks with new evidence and revising user-to-user and search risk profiles to better capture patterns associated with these harms.

The consultation document outlines how these updates could trigger significant compliance obligations for online services, including revisiting risk assessments and applying existing safety measures more broadly.

While no new enforcement measures are proposed at this stage, the regulator aims to ensure that current protections extend effectively to emerging forms of online harm.

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