The Online Safety Act 2023 (Priority Offences) (Amendment) Regulations 2025

Statutory Instruments

2025 No. 1352

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS

The Online Safety Act 2023 (Priority Offences) (Amendment) Regulations 2025

Made

18th December 2025

Coming into force in accordance with regulation 1(2)

The Secretary of State makes these Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by section 222(3) of the Online Safety Act 2023(1).

The Secretary of State considers it appropriate to add to Schedule 7(2) to that Act the offences set out in regulation 2(2) and 2(3) on the ground set out in section 222(4) of that Act.

In accordance with section 225(1)(k) of that Act, a draft of these Regulations has been laid before, and approved by a resolution of, each House of Parliament.

Citation, commencement and extent

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Online Safety Act 2023 (Priority Offences) (Amendment) Regulations 2025.

(2) These Regulations come into force on the 21st day after the day on which they are made.

(3) These Regulations extend to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Amendment of Schedule 7 to the Online Safety Act 2023

2.—(1) Schedule 7 to the Online Safety Act 2023 (priority offences) is amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3).

(2) After paragraph 2 insert—

Encouraging or assisting serious self-harm

2A.   An offence under section 184 of this Act (encouraging or assisting serious self-harm).”.

(3) For paragraph 28A substitute—

“28A.   An offence under any of the following provisions of the Sexual Offences Act 2003(3)—

(a) section 66A (sending etc photograph or film of genitals)(4);

(b) section 66B (sharing or threatening to share intimate photograph or film)(5).”.

Revocation

3.  The Online Safety Act 2023 (Priority Offences) (Amendment) Regulations 2024(6) are revoked.

Kanishka Narayan

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

18th December 2025

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the priority offences set out in Schedule 7 to the Online Safety Act 2023 (c. 50) (“the Act”). Criminal offences listed in Schedule 7 to the Act are made ‘priority offences’ by section 59(7)(c) of the Act. Part 3 of the Act imposes duties on providers of certain internet services in relation to priority offences and content which amounts to these offences.

These Regulations amend Schedule 7 to the Act by adding offences under section 184 of the Act (encouraging or assisting serious self-harm) into the Schedule. These Regulations also revoke and replace paragraph 28A of Schedule 7, adding the offence under section 66A of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 (c. 42) (sending etc photograph or film of genitals) and retaining the offence under section 66B of that Act (sharing or threatening to share intimate photograph or film), which was originally added to Schedule 7 by S.I. 2024/1188.

The Secretary of State considers it appropriate to add these offences to Schedule 7 because of the prevalence of content on regulated user-to-user services or regulated search services that amounts to the new offences, the risk of harm to individuals in the United Kingdom presented by such content and the severity of that harm.

A full Impact Assessment has not been prepared for this instrument because the impacts are expected to be minimal and fall below the de minimis threshold.

(1)

2023 c. 50.

(2)

Schedule 7 was amended by regulation 2 of S.I. 2024/1188.

(3)

2003 c. 42.

(4)

Section 66A was inserted by section 187 of the Online Safety Act 2023 (c. 50).

(5)

Section 66B was inserted by section 188 of the Online Safety Act 2023 (c. 50).

(6)

S.I. 2024/1188.