OpenLegislation

The Online Safety Act 2023 (Commencement No. 7) Regulations 2026

S.I. 2026/262 · Made 9 March 2026

Original text. legislation.gov.uk does not revise statutory instruments, so later amendments are not shown here. Changes made to it are listed under each provision when known.

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS

Made 9th March 2026

The Secretary of State makes these Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by section 240(1) and (2) of the Online Safety Act 2023f1.

Annotations to the whole text

Footnotes

f1

2023 c. 50.

Contents

  1. 1Citation
  2. 2Provisions coming into force on 7th April 2026
  3. Signature
  4. Explanatory note

1Citation

These Regulations may be cited as the Online Safety Act 2023 (Commencement No. 7) Regulations 2026.

2Provisions coming into force on 7th April 2026

(1)

Subject to paragraph (2), the following provisions of the Online Safety Act 2023 come into force on 7th April 2026—

(a)

section 66(1) and (2) (requirement to report CSEA content: regulated user-to-user services);

(b)

section 66(7) to (10) (requirement to report CSEA content: supplementary);

(c)

section 69 (offence in relation to CSEA reporting);

(d)

section 100(6)(a)(iii) (power to require information);

(e)

section 104(13)(a)(xii) (reports by skilled persons);

(f)

section 120(2)(a) (admissibility of statements);

(g)

sections 199 to 203 (offences: supplementary and general) in respect of section 69;

(h)

section 204(2) to (4) (extra-territorial application) in respect of section 69;

(i)

section 205 (offences: extra-territorial application and jurisdiction) in respect of section 69;

(j)

paragraph 12 of Schedule 8 (transparency reports: matters about which information may be required).

(2)

The provisions referred to in sub-paragraphs (b) to (i) of paragraph (1) come into force only so far as they relate to regulated user-to-user services.

Signature

Jess Phillips

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

9th March 2026

Home Office

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations are the seventh commencement regulations made under the Online Safety Act 2023 (c. 50) (“the Act”). They bring into force the duty on providers of regulated user-to-user services to report Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (“CSEA”) content to the National Crime Agency and the offence in relation to CSEA reporting under this duty. They also bring into force other provisions in relation to the duty and the offence, including provision conferring functions on the Office of Communications in relation to obtaining information and supplementary provision about offences under the Act.

A full impact assessment has been published in relation to the Act and copies can be obtained from the UK Government website at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/online-safety-act-enactment-impact-assessment or from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology at 22-26 Whitehall, London SW1A 2EG.