The Online Safety Act 2023 is Now Law: What It Means for Businesses – And How We Can Help
Today marks a major shift in the UK’s digital and regulatory landscape — the Online Safety Act 2023 has officially come into force and is now legally enforceable. Speaking on BBC Breakfast this morning, Dame Melanie Dawes, CEO of OFCOM, and online safety campaigner Ellen Roame discussed the importance of this legislation and how it will reshape the way platforms and companies handle online content — especially content that could cause harm to children and vulnerable users.
At COMPLIANCE MANAGER GROUP, we specialise in helping businesses implement robust compliance frameworks – including legal, regulatory and ISO standards. If your organisation operates online, hosts or shares content, or provides access to user-generated material, you now have legal duties under this Act.
🛡️ What is the Online Safety Act 2023?
The Act imposes legal responsibilities on tech companies, digital platforms, and content providers to protect users — particularly children — from harmful online content.
Key areas of concern include:
- Promotion of self-harm or suicide
- Pornographic and sexual content accessible to minors
- Violent content and dangerous online challenges
- Content promoting eating disorders or pro-anorexia narratives
- Hate speech, abuse, and illegal material
OFCOM, as the regulator, now has full enforcement powers to investigate, monitor, and penalise non-compliant platforms. Fines have already been issued to some companies under pre-Act enforcement schemes dating back to 2020.
⚖️ The Cost of Non-Compliance
Failure to comply with the Online Safety Act can lead to severe financial and legal consequences, including:
- Fines of up to 10% of global annual turnover
- Criminal prosecution for senior executives in cases of repeated or serious non-compliance
- Reputational damage and potential user loss
- Long-term restrictions on services or operational bans
🏢 Who Needs to Comply?
This Act affects more than just social media platforms. Businesses in the following sectors are likely to fall within scope:
- Online platforms or apps that host user-generated content
- Messaging services with public or private sharing features
- Forums and community platforms
- Online gaming environments with chat or interactive features
- Educational and healthcare platforms offering online advice or content
If your business offers digital services that allow communication, interaction, or content sharing, you must assess your exposure under the Act.
🧩 Key Measures Companies Must Implement
To meet the new legal standards, companies will need to:
- Conduct comprehensive risk assessments on the types of content their platforms may host or enable
- Implement age verification mechanisms to protect under-18s from harmful material
- Establish clear moderation and content removal processes
- Publish transparency reports on how harmful content is identified and handled
- Appoint compliance leads or risk owners internally
- Document controls and policies for incident response and user complaints
These controls also align closely with ISO/IEC 27001 (Information Security), ISO 27701 (Privacy Information Management), and ISO 37301 (Compliance Management Systems).
COMPLIANCE MANAGER GROUP help companies implement and certify against ISO27001, ISO9001, ISO14001 and other standards.
✅ How Compliance Manager Group Can Help
At COMPLIANCE MANAGER GROUP, we specialise in helping businesses navigate and implement compliance frameworks that meet both legal and ISO standards.
Here’s how we can support you:
🔍 Gap Analysis & Risk Assessment We identify where your business stands today and what controls are needed to meet the Act’s requirements.
🛠️ Compliance Implementation We help you design and embed processes for content moderation, user protection, policy management, and risk controls.
📄 Policy and Procedure Development Our team creates compliant, tailored documentation and governance structures aligned with the Online Safety Act and ISO standards.
🎓 Training and Awareness We deliver employee and management training to ensure your team understands their responsibilities.
🎯 Ongoing Compliance Management From internal audits to board-level reporting, we support your long-term compliance, including ISO 27001, ISO9001 and ISO14001!
We can also assist with ISO 27701, and ISO 37301 certifications where required.
📣 Final Thought
The Online Safety Act 2023 is a landmark piece of legislation — and it’s not just a concern for tech giants. Every business that operates in the digital space now carries legal responsibilities to protect users and uphold safety online.
Compliance is not optional. It’s a legal duty — and also a mark of trust and integrity.
Let Compliance Manager Group help you stay ahead of the regulatory curve. Our expertise in compliance systems, legal requirements, and ISO frameworks means you’re in safe hands.
📩 Contact us today to schedule a consultation and safeguard your business from risk.
(+44) 302 488 5878
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