Search Legislation

Online Safety Act 2023

Changes over time for: CHAPTER 8

 Help about opening options

Alternative versions:

Status:

Point in time view as at 31/01/2024.

Changes to legislation:

There are currently no known outstanding effects for the Online Safety Act 2023, CHAPTER 8. Help about Changes to Legislation

Close

Changes to Legislation

Revised legislation carried on this site may not be fully up to date. At the current time any known changes or effects made by subsequent legislation have been applied to the text of the legislation you are viewing by the editorial team. Please see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ for details regarding the timescales for which new effects are identified and recorded on this site.

CHAPTER 8U.K.Media literacy

165Media literacyU.K.

(1)Section 11 of the Communications Act is amended in accordance with subsections (2) to (5).

(2)Before subsection (1) insert—

(A1)In this section—

(a)subsection (1) imposes duties on OFCOM which apply in relation to material published by means of the electronic media (including by means of regulated services), and

(b)subsections (1A) to (1E) expand on those duties, and impose further duties on OFCOM, in relation to regulated services only.

(3)After subsection (1) insert—

(1A)OFCOM must take such steps, and enter into such arrangements, as they consider most likely to be effective in heightening the public’s awareness and understanding of ways in which they can protect themselves and others when using regulated services, in particular by helping them to—

(a)understand the nature and impact of harmful content and the harmful ways in which regulated services may be used, especially content and activity disproportionately affecting particular groups, including women and girls;

(b)reduce their and others’ exposure to harmful content and to the use of regulated services in harmful ways, especially content and activity disproportionately affecting particular groups, including women and girls;

(c)use or apply—

(i)features included in a regulated service, including features mentioned in section 15(2) of the Online Safety Act 2023, and

(ii)tools or apps, including tools such as browser extensions,

so as to mitigate the harms mentioned in paragraph (b);

(d)establish the reliability, accuracy and authenticity of content;

(e)understand the nature and impact of disinformation and misinformation, and reduce their and others’ exposure to it;

(f)understand how their personal information may be protected.

(1B)OFCOM must take such steps, and enter into such arrangements, as they consider most likely to encourage the development and use of technologies and systems for supporting users of regulated services to protect themselves and others as mentioned in paragraph (a), (b), (c), (d) or (e) of subsection (1A), including technologies and systems which—

(a)provide further context to users about content they encounter;

(b)help users to identify, and provide further context about, content of democratic importance present on regulated user-to-user services;

(c)signpost users to resources, tools or information raising awareness about how to use regulated services so as to mitigate the harms mentioned in subsection (1A)(b).

(1C)OFCOM’s duty under subsection (1A) is to be performed in the following ways (among others)—

(a)pursuing activities and initiatives,

(b)commissioning others to pursue activities and initiatives,

(c)taking steps designed to encourage others to pursue activities and initiatives, and

(d)making arrangements for the carrying out of research (see section 14(6)(a)).

(1D)OFCOM must draw up, and from time to time review and revise, a statement recommending ways in which others, including providers of regulated services, might develop, pursue and evaluate activities or initiatives relevant to media literacy in relation to regulated services.

(1E)OFCOM must publish the statement and any revised statement in such manner as they consider appropriate for bringing it to the attention of the persons who, in their opinion, are likely to be affected by it.

(4)After subsection (2) insert—

(3)In this section and in section 11A, “regulated service” means—

(a)a regulated user-to-user service, or

(b)a regulated search service.

Regulated user-to-user service” and “regulated search service” have the same meaning as in the Online Safety Act 2023 (see section 4 of that Act).

(4)In this section—

(a)content”, in relation to regulated services, means regulated user-generated content, search content or fraudulent advertisements;

(b)the following terms have the same meaning as in the Online Safety Act 2023—

  • content of democratic importance” (see section 17 of that Act);

  • fraudulent advertisement” (see sections 38 and 39 of that Act);

  • harm” (see section 234 of that Act) (and “harmful” is to be interpreted consistently with that section);

  • provider” (see section 226 of that Act);

  • regulated user-generated content” (see section 55 of that Act);

  • search content” (see section 57 of that Act).

(5)In the heading, for “Duty” substitute “Duties”.

(6)In section 14 of the Communications Act (consumer research), in subsection (6)(a), after “11(1)” insert “, (1A) and (1B)”.

Commencement Information

I1S. 165 not in force at Royal Assent, see s. 240(1)

I2S. 165 in force at 10.1.2024 by S.I. 2023/1420, reg. 2(z19)

166Media literacy strategy and media literacy statementU.K.

After section 11 of the Communications Act insert—

11ARegulated services: media literacy strategy and media literacy statement

(1)OFCOM must prepare and publish a media literacy strategy within the period of one year beginning with the day on which the Online Safety Act 2023 is passed.

(2)A media literacy strategy is a plan setting out how OFCOM propose to exercise their functions under section 11 in the period covered by the plan, which must be not more than three years.

(3)In particular, a media literacy strategy must state OFCOM’s objectives and priorities for the period it covers.

(4)Before the end of the period covered by a media literacy strategy, OFCOM must prepare and publish a media literacy strategy for a further period, ensuring that each successive strategy covers a period beginning immediately after the end of the last one.

(5)In preparing or revising a media literacy strategy, OFCOM must consult such persons as they consider appropriate.

(6)OFCOM’s annual report must contain a media literacy statement.

(7)A media literacy statement is a statement by OFCOM—

(a)summarising what they have done in the financial year to which the report relates in the exercise of their functions under section 11, and

(b)assessing what progress has been made towards achieving the objectives and priorities set out in their media literacy strategy in that year.

(8)A media literacy statement must include a summary and an evaluation of the activities and initiatives pursued or commissioned by OFCOM in the exercise of their functions under section 11 in the financial year to which the report relates.

(9)The first annual report that is required to contain a media literacy statement is the report for the financial year during which OFCOM’s first media literacy strategy is published, and that first statement is to relate to the period from publication day until the end of that financial year.

(10)But if OFCOM’s first media literacy strategy is published during the second half of a financial year—

(a)the first annual report that is required to contain a media literacy statement is the report for the next financial year, and

(b)that first statement is to relate to the period from publication day until the end of that financial year.

(11)References in this section to OFCOM’s functions under section 11 are to those functions so far as they relate to regulated services.

(12)In this section—

  • annual report” means OFCOM’s annual report under paragraph 12 of the Schedule to the Office of Communications Act 2002;

  • financial year” means a year ending with 31 March.

Commencement Information

I3S. 166 not in force at Royal Assent, see s. 240(1)

I4S. 166 in force at 10.1.2024 by S.I. 2023/1420, reg. 2(z19)

Back to top

Options/Help

Print Options

You have chosen to open The Whole Act

The Whole Act you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download. You may also experience some issues with your browser, such as an alert box that a script is taking a long time to run.

Would you like to continue?

You have chosen to open The Whole Act as a PDF

The Whole Act you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download.

Would you like to continue?

You have chosen to open The Whole Act without Schedules

The Whole Act without Schedules you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download. You may also experience some issues with your browser, such as an alert box that a script is taking a long time to run.

Would you like to continue?

You have chosen to open The Whole Act without Schedules as a PDF

The Whole Act without Schedules you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download.

Would you like to continue?

You have chosen to open the Whole Act

The Whole Act you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download. You may also experience some issues with your browser, such as an alert box that a script is taking a long time to run.

Would you like to continue?

You have chosen to open the Whole Act without Schedules

The Whole Act without Schedules you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download. You may also experience some issues with your browser, such as an alert box that a script is taking a long time to run.

Would you like to continue?

You have chosen to open Schedules only

The Schedules you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download. You may also experience some issues with your browser, such as an alert box that a script is taking a long time to run.

Would you like to continue?

Close

Legislation is available in different versions:

Latest Available (revised):The latest available updated version of the legislation incorporating changes made by subsequent legislation and applied by our editorial team. Changes we have not yet applied to the text, can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area.

Original (As Enacted or Made): The original version of the legislation as it stood when it was enacted or made. No changes have been applied to the text.

Point in Time: This becomes available after navigating to view revised legislation as it stood at a certain point in time via Advanced Features > Show Timeline of Changes or via a point in time advanced search.

Close

See additional information alongside the content

Geographical Extent: Indicates the geographical area that this provision applies to. For further information see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

Show Timeline of Changes: See how this legislation has or could change over time. Turning this feature on will show extra navigation options to go to these specific points in time. Return to the latest available version by using the controls above in the What Version box.

Close

Opening Options

Different options to open legislation in order to view more content on screen at once

Close

Explanatory Notes

Text created by the government department responsible for the subject matter of the Act to explain what the Act sets out to achieve and to make the Act accessible to readers who are not legally qualified. Explanatory Notes were introduced in 1999 and accompany all Public Acts except Appropriation, Consolidated Fund, Finance and Consolidation Acts.

Close

More Resources

Access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item from this tab. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:

  • the original print PDF of the as enacted version that was used for the print copy
  • lists of changes made by and/or affecting this legislation item
  • confers power and blanket amendment details
  • all formats of all associated documents
  • correction slips
  • links to related legislation and further information resources
Close

Timeline of Changes

This timeline shows the different points in time where a change occurred. The dates will coincide with the earliest date on which the change (e.g an insertion, a repeal or a substitution) that was applied came into force. The first date in the timeline will usually be the earliest date when the provision came into force. In some cases the first date is 01/02/1991 (or for Northern Ireland legislation 01/01/2006). This date is our basedate. No versions before this date are available. For further information see the Editorial Practice Guide and Glossary under Help.

Close

More Resources

Use this menu to access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:

  • the original print PDF of the as enacted version that was used for the print copy
  • correction slips

Click 'View More' or select 'More Resources' tab for additional information including:

  • lists of changes made by and/or affecting this legislation item
  • confers power and blanket amendment details
  • all formats of all associated documents
  • links to related legislation and further information resources