The Online Safety (CSEA Content Reporting by Regulated User-to-User Service Providers) (Revocation) Regulations 2025
These Regulations, enacted by the Secretary of State using powers under the Online Safety Act 2023, officially revoke the earlier Online Safety (CSEA Content Reporting by Regulated User-to-User Service Providers) Regulations 2025, effective from November 2nd, 2025, across the whole of the UK, following consultation with the NCA and OFCOM.
Arguments For
The revocation streamlines and updates the regulatory framework governing content reporting under the Online Safety Act 2023, potentially reducing regulatory burdens on service providers.
Removing specific, potentially redundant or interim, regulations concerning Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (CSEA) content reporting allows OFCOM and service providers to operate under clearer, potentially consolidated, future guidance or legislation.
Since no significant impact on private, voluntary, or public sectors is foreseen, the revocation simplifies compliance without sacrificing important policy goals, assuming those goals will be met through other existing or forthcoming measures.
Arguments Against
Revoking specific regulations related to CSEA content reporting might create a temporary compliance vacuum or uncertainty regarding the precise reporting obligations for user-to-user service providers until superseded regulations are enacted.
The lack of a full impact assessment for the revocation means that potential minor negative impacts or unforeseen consequences on safeguarding enforcement mechanisms might not have been fully scrutinized or publicly debated.
If the revoked 2025 Regulations contained necessary prescriptive detail for reporting illegal CSEA material, their removal could slow down the immediate referral of harmful content to the National Crime Agency (NCA) or OFCOM.
The Secretary of State makes these Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 67(1) to (4), and 224(1)(a)(i) and (b) of the Online Safety Act 2023.
The Secretary of State has consulted the NCA and OFCOM and such other persons as the Secretary of State has considered appropriate as required by section 67(5) of the Online Safety Act 2023.
The relevant Secretary must issue these statutory rules by using the specific legal authority granted under sections 67(1) to (4) and section 224(1)(a)(i) and (b) of the Online Safety Act 2023.
Before making the rules, the government consulted the National Crime Agency (NCA), the communications regulator OFCOM, and any other relevant parties, satisfying the consultation requirement set out in section 67(5) of the Act.
Citation, commencement and extent 1.
(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Online Safety (CSEA Content Reporting by Regulated User-to-User Service Providers) (Revocation) Regulations 2025 and come into force on 2nd November 2025.
(2) These Regulations extend to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The official title for these rules is the Online Safety (CSEA Content Reporting by Regulated User-to-User Service Providers) (Revocation) Regulations 2025, and they legally take effect on November 2nd, 2025.
These regulations apply to all parts of the United Kingdom: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
Revocation 2.
The Online Safety (CSEA Content Reporting by Regulated User-to-User Service Providers) Regulations 2025 are revoked.
This section explicitly cancels and terminates the preceding set of rules named the Online Safety (CSEA Content Reporting by Regulated User-to-User Service Providers) Regulations 2025.
Explanatory Note (This note is not part of the Regulations)
These Regulations revoke the Online Safety (CSEA Content Reporting by Regulated User-to-User Service Providers) Regulations 2025.
A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no, or no significant, impact on private, voluntary or public sectors is foreseen.
This non-statutory note confirms that the purpose of the instrument is solely to revoke the specific 2025 regulations concerning CSEA content reporting by user-to-user service providers.
Government officials determined that a full impact assessment was unnecessary because the removal of these rules is unlikely to cause any substantial effect—positive or negative—on the private sector, voluntary organizations, or the public sector.
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