New commitments to protect children online will mean: 🔷 Adults can't message children on Snap by default 🔷 Parents can switch off chat for under-16s on Roblox 🔷 Instagram to detect sexualised conversations between adults and teens More 🔗 www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safet...

We have accepted X’s public commitments to bring in new protections to tackle illegal hate and terror content. Read the full list of changes and our statement here 🔗 www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safet...

📢 New proposals to extend audience protections to the largest streaming services used by UK viewers. Plans adapt familiar TV standards for streaming, covering under‑18s, harm and offence, due accuracy and impartiality, and fairness and privacy.🔗 www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and...

🧵 This forum has reportedly been linked with over 130 UK deaths. Despite making changes to block UK users, it is still accessible here without a VPN. The fact that the provider is based outside the UK does not mean the forum is outside the scope of the Online Safety Act.

We're investigating Telegram, Teen Chat and Chat Avenue after evidence suggests child sexual abuse material being shared on Telegram and predators using teen chat sites to groom children. Read about our investigations in full: www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safet...

Our research on how UK adults use media finds: 📱 They're more passive on social media, with less people actively posting, sharing or commenting 🤖 AI adoption accelerates, including for companionship and creativity 📰 Trust in news sources is fragmented Read more: www.ofcom.org.uk/media-use-an...

We've fined 4chan £450,000 for not having age checks in place to prevent children seeing porn on its site. The Online Safety Act is concerned with protecting people in the UK. It doesn't require platforms to restrict what people in other countries see. 🔗 www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safet...

📢 Our rules to fuel the full-fibre rollout and support UK productivity. 🛜 Nearly 8 in 10 homes have access to full-fibre broadband 📈 That's up from less than 1 in 4 in 2021 👍 Upgrades bolster UK productivity, as AI transforms businesses More 🔗 www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-b...

We've set out four clear demands for sites and apps most popular with children, to: 🚫 Enforce their minimum age rules 🛡️ Put in place grooming protections ⚙️ Make their algorithms safer 🧪 Stop testing new products and features on children

The Media Act is the first major change to media legislation for 20 years. It will: 🛡️ Protect audiences on more platforms ✅ Make sure disabled people can access & enjoy content 📡 Ensure public service media continues to deliver for audiences 🎧 Update regulation to reflect modern listening habits

We're progressing our investigation into X as a matter of urgency, using our powers to gather and analyse evidence to determine whether it has broken the law. ➡️ Read our update in full: www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safet...

Our new memorandum of understanding with @ofcom.bsky.social builds on strong existing relationship and lays the groundwork for how we can assist Ofcom in its duties under the Online Safety Act. Read more on our website. www.iwf.org.uk/news-media/n...

This is a welcome development. However, our formal investigation remains ongoing. We are working round the clock to progress this and get answers into what went wrong and what’s being done to fix it.

We've launched an investigation into X over Grok sexualised imagery. We've opened a formal investigation into X under the Online Safety Act, to determine whether it has complied with its duties to protect people in the UK from content that is illegal in the UK. 🔗 www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safet...

📢 We've outlined how we plan to set fees and penalties under the Online Safety Act. Tech firms will fund our work based on their qualifying worldwide revenue, just like in other sectors we regulate. Learn more about our approach here: www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safet...

🚨 9 new online safety investigations. We're investigating whether 4chan, a porn provider and seven file-sharing services have failed to comply with their duties under the Online Safety Act. 🔗 Find out more: www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safet...

We’re proposing a change to our broadcasting rules. Under this change, politicians could still present programmes, but could not be a newsreader, news interviewer or news reporter in any type of programme, without exceptional editorial justification. www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and...

Check out the latest trends for how people in the UK live their lives online: 🤖 AI is on the rise, but not trusted by all 🚫 Scams and fake profiles 📱 Smartphone use Find out more here: www.ofcom.org.uk/media-use-an...

🔒 Children in the UK will lead safer online lives as we've finalised safety measures for sites and apps to introduce from July. Tech firms must act to prevent children from seeing harmful content, and meet their duties under the Online Safety Act ➡️ Read more: www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safet...

📻 We have reviewed BBC plans for new DAB+ radio stations. We are proposing to: ✅ Green light new Radio 1 Dance, Radio 1 Anthems, and Radio 3 Unwind. 🟥 Deny plans for a new Radio 2 station and expanded Radio 5 Sports Extra. More 🔗 www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and...

We've launched an investigation into whether the provider of an online suicide forum has failed to comply with its duties under the Online Safety Act. Read more here: www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safet...

🚨 From today, tech platforms must start tackling criminal content on their sites to protect their users. This includes removing child sexual abuse material, fraud and illegal content encouraging suicide. Read more 🔗 ofcom.org.uk/online-safet...

📢 We're calling on tech companies to make the online world safer for women and girls. Our draft guidance - shaped by victims, survivors and safety experts - outlines key areas where platforms should do more. ➡️ Read more: www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safet...

The universal postal service needs reform to remain sustainable. We propose: 📨 First class to still be delivered next day, six days a week. 📩 Second class delivered on alternate weekdays - within three days. 🚫 No Saturday deliveries for Second Class. More 🔗 www.ofcom.org.uk/post/royal-m...

🚨 New blocking measures to protect people from 'spoof' calls. Phone companies must now block overseas calls pretending to be from UK landlines, under our strengthened industry guidance. Read more about our work to clamp down on scams: www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-b...

📻 Applications for the latest round of small-scale DAB radio multiplexes are now open. Small-scale DAB helps to bring more local radio to listeners across the UK, from grass-roots community services to specialist music stations. Find out more here: www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and...

🔎 Is your business in scope of the Online Safety Act? We've launched our digital toolkit to help businesses comply with new online safety rules. 🛠️ Find out more: www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safet...

Stronger age checks to come into force for online pornography sites in UK

Online services must introduce age checks to protect children from encountering porn. Our new guidance sets out how we expect sites and apps to introduce highly effective age assurance, while protecting adults' privacy rights. Find out more: www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safet...

📢 Top 10 most complained-about TV shows of 2024 revealed. In 2024 we received over 69K complaints about 9K cases, with the top 10 accounting for 61% of all complaints. Find out more 🔗 www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and...

🚨 A major milestone in online safety. Sites and apps must now start taking action to protect people from illegal harm online. Key measures include: 🔒 Senior accountability for safety 🛠️ Improved content moderation and reporting systems 🛡️ Protecting children from abuse

We've fined Royal Mail £10.5m for failing to meet its delivery targets in 2023/24. 74.7% of First Class mail and 92.7% of Second Class was delivered on time, well short of its target of 93% and 98.5%. 🔗 Read more: www.ofcom.org.uk/post/royal-m...

Social tariff take-up surges to over 500,000, offering broadband and mobile customers savings of up to £220 a year. But our new research shows millions of eligible UK households are unaware and missing out on these deals. Find out more: 🔗 www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-b...

At this time of year, be extra vigilant about scams: 🛍️ Online shopping scams could see you parted from your money. 📦 Beware of dodgy parcel delivery messages. 🚗 Parking scams are rife – be careful when using car parks. Find out more: www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-b...

Our latest data shows a sharp rise in UK homes taking up satellite broadband to keep connected. 87,000 homes, mainly in rural areas, now use satellite services – up from 42,000 last year. Read for more: www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-b...

Our new figures on the UK's broadband and mobile coverage are out. They reveal: 🛜 More than 20 million homes can now get full-fibre broadband. ⚡Average max download speeds now 223 Mbit/s. 📱5G coverage rises, but most mobile traffic still on 4G. Read for more: www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-b...

🚨 We have today published our seventh annual report on the BBC - looking at performance in 2023/24. Alongside this, we have also published the final report of our local media review. Find out more 🔗 www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and...

Our research finds that out of the 10 most popular social media platforms: 🤳 Women spend more time on Pinterest, Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. 📱 While men spend more time on Quora, X, Reddit, LinkedIn and YouTube. Read more: www.ofcom.org.uk/media-use-an...

Our latest report into the UK's digital habits reveals: ⏲️ Gen Z women spend over an hour longer online than Gen Z men. 📱Men are more avid users of online dating and Gen AI. ⚠️ Women and teenage girls are most concerned about online harm. Read more: www.ofcom.org.uk/media-use-an...

Our new research reveals: 🔹 4 in 10 UK adults encounter misinformation, mainly online 🔹 45% feel they can confidently judge whether sources of information are truthful. 🔹 30% feel confident judging if content is AI-generated. Find out more: www.ofcom.org.uk/media-use-an...

Want to stay in the loop on our latest online safety news and insights? ✉️ Subscribe to our newsletter to make sure you get tomorrow's edition in your inbox: www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/...

Thanks to all who joined our event last week to bring together government, charities, tech platforms and others working to tackle the harm women and girls face online. Early next year we'll publish draft guidance on protecting women and girls online- these insights will be vital to developing this.

It’s good to see Instagram bringing this in before regulation starts to bite, and we’ll be pressing for companies to do more to protect and empower their users. When the UK's online safety laws are fully in force, the largest sites and apps will have to give people more control over what they see.

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