Ofcom Protection of Children: risk assessment due 24 July 2025; Codes in force 25 July 2025

Ofcom’s Important dates for Online Safety compliance page records the Protection of Children wave:

• 24 April 2025 — Ofcom publishes children’s risk-assessment guidance and the first Protection of Children Codes of Practice.
• 24 July 2025 — completion date for children’s risk assessments for online-safety services likely to be accessed by children (including VSPs).
• 25 July 2025 — Protection of Children Codes of Practice come into force; those services must comply with children safety duties.

The documents hub lists Issued Protection of Children Codes for user-to-user and search services dated 4 July 2025, plus Children’s Access Assessments Guidance and Children’s Risk Assessment Guidance (9 May 2025 PDFs on the hub).

UA / product reading

User-to-user game services likely accessed by children need documented children’s risk assessments and safety measures under these Codes. That can affect age-assurance, recommender controls and UGC moderation — adjacent to UA audience settings but not a CPI figure. Treat “likely accessed by children” as a legal scope test under the Act, not a marketing demographic label.

Download the dates card.

Research checked 20 September 2026. Local draft; human editorial review pending.