The Online Safety Act enforcement is imminent, necessitating social media companies to comply with new regulations.
- Ofcom CEO Dame Melanie Dawes emphasizes the urgency for social media firms to implement safety measures by Spring 2025.
- Companies failing to introduce proper safeguards may face fines up to 10% of their global revenue, with potential shutdowns for severe breaches.
- Ofcom collaborates with both large and smaller, risk-oriented companies to prepare for these regulatory changes.
- Legal experts stress the importance of strict penalties for non-compliance to ensure child safety online.
The Online Safety Act, a legislation designed to curb the spread of harmful content on social media platforms, will see its enforcement ramp up by Spring 2025. Led by Ofcom, the regulatory measures are aimed at ensuring social media companies adhere to strict safety protocols.
Dame Melanie Dawes, Chief Executive Officer of Ofcom, has clearly articulated the timeline and expectations in a recent announcement. Speaking to BBC Radio Five Live, she highlighted the critical nature of the upcoming changes. ‘By the end of this year we’ll be sending a really important part of our work to the government and what that will do is start the clock on the action that the companies are going to need to take,’ Dawes stated. This signals that significant steps towards full compliance are expected from social media platforms.
If companies do not adhere to these new standards, they could be subjected to fines amounting to as much as 10% of their global revenue. In addition, Ofcom possesses the authority to completely dismantle operations for platforms that are deemed to pose severe risks to online safety. Dawes remarked, ‘We are very clear that the first step that any responsible company needs to take, is to actually assess risks that they’ve never assessed before’ and further indicated the potential for enforcement actions if companies fail to meet the necessary standards.
In preparation for these changes, Ofcom is engaging closely with a variety of social media companies. This includes not only the industry’s largest platforms but also smaller companies identified as particularly high-risk. This targeted engagement underscores the regulator’s proactive approach in managing and mitigating potential online threats.
Industry insiders, such as Hanna Basha, a partner at the law firm Payne Hicks Beach, have underscored the critical nature of these developments, particularly concerning child safety. According to Basha, ‘Ofcom’s measures to protect children under the Online Safety Act are crucial. Without serious penalties for non-compliance, these measures won’t be effective.’ This highlights the significance of strict regulatory oversight in achieving the intended safety outcomes.
The implementation of the Online Safety Act underscores Ofcom’s commitment to enforcing strict safety measures across social media platforms.
