Ofcom Illegal Harms: risk-assessment deadline 16 March 2025; Codes in force 17 March 2025

Ofcom’s Important dates for Online Safety compliance page (checked 20 September 2026) records the first Illegal Harms wave for regulated user-to-user and search services:

• 16 March 2025 — completion date for illegal content risk assessments after Ofcom published risk-assessment guidance and the first Illegal Harms Codes on 16 December 2024.
• 17 March 2025 — Illegal content Codes of Practice come into force; services must comply with the illegal content safety duties.

The regulatory documents hub hosts the Illegal content Codes of Practice for user-to-user services and for search services dated 26 February 2025, plus Risk Assessment Guidance.

UA / product reading

In-scope game services with user-to-user features (chat, UGC, multiplayer social layers) and search services fall under these duties if they meet Online Safety Act scope. The milestone is risk assessment and illegal-content safety measures, not a UK ad-library rule and not an automatic ban on game UA creatives. Failure to meet deadlines can lead to Ofcom enforcement under the Act.

Download the dates card.

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