Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether Ofcom has enforced the obligation on in-scope generative-AI search services that they carry out child access assessments as required by section 36 of the Online Safety Act 2023.

AI services that allow users to share content with one another or that search live websites to provide results are regulated under the Online Safety Act.

In-scope services are required to assess the risk of harm to users from illegal content on their services and implement measures to mitigate this risk. Where services are likely to be accessed by children, they will also need to risk assess for content harmful to children and take action to protect children from harmful content.

Ofcom has a range of robust enforcement powers to ensure compliance with the Act. Ofcom publishes details on the enforcement action it takes on its website.