Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what the evidential basis is for the Category 1 threshold of 34 million average monthly active United Kingdom users in the Online Safety Act 2023.

In March 2024, Ofcom published research and advice on categorisation, as required by the Online Safety Act. Ofcom’s advice can be found at the following web address: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/categorisation-research-and-advice/. In April 2024, Ofcom published a letter which provides some clarification on the approach that Ofcom took to developing its proposals and the results of the testing of threshold options. This letter can be found at the following web address: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/about-ofcom/public-correspondence/2024/04-24-letter-melanie-dawes-categorisation.pdf?v=322334. On 16 December, the Secretary of State laid regulations in line with Ofcom’s recommendations.