Online Safety Act 2023

161 OFCOM’s report about use of app stores by children

(1) OFCOM must produce a report about the use of app stores by children.

(2) In particular, the report must—

(a) assess what role app stores play in children encountering content that is harmful to children, search content that is harmful to children or regulated provider pornographic content by means of regulated apps which the app stores make available,

(b) assess the extent to which age assurance is currently used by providers of app stores, and how effective it is, and

(c) explore whether children’s online safety would be better protected by the greater use of age assurance or particular kinds of age assurance by such providers, or by other measures.

(3) OFCOM must publish the report during the period beginning two years, and ending three years, after the day on which sections 12 and 29 come into force (or if those sections come into force on different days, the later of those days).

(4) For further provision about the report under this section, see section 164.

(5) In this section—

• “age assurance” means age verification or age estimation;

• “app” includes an app for use on any kind of device, and “app store” is to be read accordingly;

• “content that is harmful to children” has the same meaning as in Part 3 (see section 60);

• “regulated app” means an app for a regulated service;

• “regulated provider pornographic content” has the same meaning as in Part 5 (see section 79);

• “search content” has the same meaning as in Part 3 (see section 57).

(6) In this section references to children are to children in the United Kingdom.