Conclusion 6

The long-term success of the regime depends on Ofcom continuing to learn from international engagement and regular evaluation. No other country has introduced online safety regulation of an equivalent scale. Ofcom has engaged with UK and overseas regulators, and it sees the development of these relationships as crucial to the regime’s future success. In 2022, for example, Ofcom helped establish a global network of online safety regulators, which has helped it better understand and respond to the emerging harm of sextortion (sex-based blackmail). The Department and Ofcom also recognise the role evaluation will play in ensuring the regime’s future success. They both have evaluation plans in place (Ofcom reviewing the effectiveness of its measures and the Department assessing the effectiveness of the regime) and are working together to implement these. However, Ofcom has yet to finalise its metrics to measure performance and the Department has key gaps in its evidence base. Evaluation will also be challenging owing to the nature of the regulated harms, the fast-changing technology landscape and the lack of equivalent regimes in other countries. Recommendation 6: Ofcom and the Department should accelerate their work on evaluating the regime and collaborating with other regulators (both UK- and overseas-based), so they can identify emerging risks and better understand how regulation is working, including identifying the most effective solutions. 8 Preparedness for online safety regulation 1 Delivering the full regulatory regime