In Autumn/Winter 2025, we plan to conduct in-house research across a range of online platforms to explore platform design in relation to livestreaming. This work will support policy development relating to the Online Safety Codes of Practice [Ofcom] is required to prepare. Ofcom researchers will simulate journeys of different user types viewing and engaging with livestreams. All activity will be tightly controlled to ensure researcher safety and minimise user interaction.
In December 2024/January 2025, we carried out a first phase of research using accounts set up by researchers on different platforms, with the assistance of a research agency. The accounts used “fictional personas’’ based on different users’ online experience, including children’s accounts, to help us understand the prevalence of certain design features and how the design of the platform interfaces and functionalities could shape user behaviour and outcomes. In some instances, running these accounts included basic interactions (such as following/friending) with other accounts on the platform where this was necessary.
In Autumn/Winter 2025, we plan to conduct in-house research across a range of online platforms to explore how platform design and advertising systems may contribute to or reduce the risk of fraudulent advertising. This will support policy development relating to the Fraudulent Advertising Codes of Practice that Ofcom is required to prepare. Researchers will use Ofcom-managed accounts and devices to simulate journeys of those placing paid-for-advertisements (including in relation to ad creation) and users who encounter advertising (including in relation to reporting). In some cases, neutral test ads may be published to assess reporting tools; in others, the process will be followed without publishing content. All activity will be tightly controlled to ensure researcher safety and minimise user interaction.
In Winter 2025/26, we used an external agency to conduct research into the experience of child accounts on different app stores. Researchers set up child accounts for different ages using “fictional personas” to help us understand the prevalence of certain protections and design features for children on app stores, including age assurance. This research will help inform a report about the use of app stores by children which Ofcom must produce under the Online Safety Act. Activity was tightly controlled to ensure researcher safety and minimise user interaction. Researchers did not access apps through the app stores as part of this research.
Please find an earlier version of this notice here.
In February / March 2026, Ofcom is carrying out research on X, and on Grok on X.
This work is being carried out by Ofcom researchers, who will use Ofcom-managed accounts and devices to access X and record observations and insights regarding its functions. All activity will be tightly controlled to ensure researcher safety and minimise interaction with platform users.
This is being conducted in relation to Ofcom’s ongoing investigation into X and its compliance with its legal obligations under the Online Safety Act which was launched on January 12th 2026.
In Spring 2026, we intend to carry out a short in-house pilot to test the efficacy of one specific kind of age assurance method to help us assess the effectiveness of the age assurance process in respect of a regulated service which allows pornographic content on their service.
Following this pilot, we plan to conduct further in-house testing using a range of techniques to test the effectiveness of different kinds age assurance methods across a range of regulated services which allow pornographic content. These tests may involve the use of “fictional personas” signing up to the relevant site and going through the user journey to observe the age assurance methods deployed by providers of regulated services as part of their overall end-to-end age assurance process. We do not anticipate nor do we intend to interact with other users on the service. We expect the results of this testing will help us decide whether to take informal or formal actions to address age assurance processes which we consider may not be highly effective in preventing children from encountering pornographic content. For this reason, we will only conduct this exercise where we have reason to suspect an age assurance method may not be highly effective.