Ofcom: guidance on highly effective age assurance (Part 3) · 1. Overview

1. Overview

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1. Overview

| What this guidance covers | | --- | | This is our guidance to assist providers of regulated user-to-user and search services (“Part 3 | | services”) in implementing highly effective age assurance for the purpose of fulfilling their | | regulatory obligations under the Online Safety Act 2023 (“the Act”). | | This guidance is applicable for the purposes of: | | • stage 1 of the children’s access assessment, as explained in the Children’s Access | | Assessment Guidance; and | | • understanding how highly effective age assurance should be implemented where | | applicable to recommended measures set out in Ofcom’s Protection of Children Code of | | Practice for user-to-user services. | | This guidance sets out additional detail to assist service providers in i) understanding | | whether an age assurance process is highly effective and ii) complying with the | | recommended measures. | | Our approach to highly effective age assurance aligns, where appropriate, with the approach | | taken in our Guidance for service providers publishing pornographic content under Part 5 of | | the Act. This is to ensure that service providers in scope of Part 5 and / or Part 3 of the Act | | have a clear and consistent understanding of how to implement highly effective age | | assurance to prevent children from encountering harmful content. | | This guidance was originally published on 16 January 2025. This updated version was | | published on 24 April 2025. We have replaced references to the draft version of the | | Protection of Children Code for user-to-user services with references to the final version. |

Full captured verbatim text

| What this guidance covers |
| --- |
| This is our guidance to assist providers of regulated user-to-user and search services (“Part 3 |
| services”) in implementing highly effective age assurance for the purpose of fulfilling their |
| regulatory obligations under the Online Safety Act 2023 (“the Act”). |
| This guidance is applicable for the purposes of: |
| • stage 1 of the children’s access assessment, as explained in the Children’s Access |
| Assessment Guidance; and |
| • understanding how highly effective age assurance should be implemented where |
| applicable to recommended measures set out in Ofcom’s Protection of Children Code of |
| Practice for user-to-user services. |
| This guidance sets out additional detail to assist service providers in i) understanding |
| whether an age assurance process is highly effective and ii) complying with the |
| recommended measures. |
| Our approach to highly effective age assurance aligns, where appropriate, with the approach |
| taken in our Guidance for service providers publishing pornographic content under Part 5 of |
| the Act. This is to ensure that service providers in scope of Part 5 and / or Part 3 of the Act |
| have a clear and consistent understanding of how to implement highly effective age |
| assurance to prevent children from encountering harmful content. |
| This guidance was originally published on 16 January 2025. This updated version was |
| published on 24 April 2025. We have replaced references to the draft version of the |
| Protection of Children Code for user-to-user services with references to the final version. |

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Guidance assists providers of regulated Part 3 services in understanding and implementing highly effective age assurance under the Online Safety Act 2023.

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Instrument: uk:ofcom/heaa-guidance-part3
Part: 1. Overview
Version: eb000eee3d25f24ca2bee58c…
Content hash: sha256 ee278a04c46f6e398f0581e2…
Source: ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/consultations/category-1-10-weeks/statement-protecting-children-from-harms-online/main-document/guidance-on-highly-effective-age-assurance-part-3-guidance-.pdf?v=396471