The Online Safety Act and Other Laws for Chat Sites

• Services likely to be accessed by children must assess risks to children and apply the Codes' measures, or equally effective ones (Ofcom).
• The riskiest services are expected to use highly effective age assurance to identify child users (CMS).
• The Codes include more than 40 practical safety measures, with penalties up to £18 million or 10% of global revenue (Incode).
• Rules apply to services accessible to UK users, wherever the company is based (Incode).

Random matching between strangers is high-risk for children. Adult-only chat sites serving UK users should expect to need robust age checks, strong moderation and clear reporting.

Expect age checks, stricter moderation and clearer reporting on chat sites. If a site serving the UK has none of these, treat it with caution.

TalkWithStrangers.club is adults-only, removes suspected minors, filters text before delivery and puts reporting on every screen. We do not claim certification we do not hold.

TalkWithStrangers.club Research (2026). Online Safety Laws and Stranger Chat Sites. talkwithstrangers.club/research/online-safety-laws-chat-sites. Last reviewed 3 October 2026.

The Act covers user-to-user services (where users can share content or interact with each other) and search services. A random chat site, where strangers exchange messages, voice or video, is a user-to-user service. Services likely to be accessed by children carry additional duties (CMS).

Ofcom expects the riskiest services to use highly effective age assurance rather than a simple "I am 18" tick-box (CMS). Ofcom's non-exhaustive list of methods that can be highly effective includes email-based cross-referencing, mobile network operator authentication and facial age estimation where no data is stored (National Law Review).

Before 24 July 2025, in-scope services likely to be accessed by children had to complete and record a children's risk assessment (Ofcom). In plain terms, a service must think through how children could encounter harm on it, and what it is doing to reduce that risk.

From that date, in-scope services had to apply the codes' safety measures or equally effective alternatives (Ofcom). Users in the UK can expect more age checks, safer default settings for young users, and clearer reporting tools on many platforms.

The UK is not alone. Many jurisdictions are debating or introducing rules on age verification, platform risk assessments and child safety online. For any chat service operating internationally, the direction of travel is clear: adult services are expected to keep children out, and all services are expected to take reasonable steps against foreseeable harms.

If a chat site serves UK users but shows no age policy, no rules and no reporting tools, treat it with caution. Clear policies are now the baseline, not a bonus.

User-to-user service: a service where users can share content with or interact with other users. Children's access assessment: a check of whether children are likely to use a service. Children's risk assessment: a documented assessment of risks to children. Highly effective age assurance: age checks robust enough to reliably keep children out of harmful content or services. Codes of practice: Ofcom's recommended measures for meeting legal duties.

An adult-only service that relies on highly effective age assurance across the whole service may not need the full children's risk assessment, while partial implementation still requires assessment for parts children can reach (National Law Review). In practice, adult chat services need a clear, enforced age policy and records showing how it works.

Will I have to verify my age? On some UK services, yes. Does the Act read my messages? The Act sets duties for services; it does not give Ofcom access to your private messages. What if a service ignores the rules? Ofcom can investigate and fine non-compliant services.

The UK's Online Safety Act makes platforms responsible for assessing and reducing risks to users, especially children. For stranger chat services, the practical expectations are clear: keep children out of adult services with robust age assurance, design for safety, and act quickly on reports.

TalkWithStrangers.club is adults-only, removes suspected minors, keeps cameras off by default, filters text before delivery and puts reporting on every screen. Where local law requires additional age assurance, users may be asked to complete it.