Committee publication · Correspondence · 1 July 2026

Correspondence from Ofcom, re. Media literacy recommendations, 24 June

From: Science, Innovation and Technology Committee

Summary

Ofcom informs the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee of new Media Literacy Recommendations published under the Online Safety Act 2023. The recommendations, covering service design, user engagement, partnerships, and evaluation, aim to improve media literacy across online, broadcast, and content services. Ofcom will track adoption by 2029 and report progress to Government and Parliament.

Key findings

Ofcom has published Media Literacy Recommendations for online, broadcast, and content-related service providers under OSA 2023 requirements
Recommendations organised into four groups: service design, during-use support, beyond-service partnerships/content, and evaluation frameworks
First two recommendation groups target online and content services to enable informed user choice; latter groups extend to all providers including broadcasters
Recommendations are non-enforceable but Ofcom will track adoption and report by 2029, escalating to Government and Parliament if progress is limited
Ofcom seeks Committee support to promote recommendations and encourage industry-wide adoption

Tone

Procedural

Topics

media-literacyonline-safetybroadcastingdigital-regulation

Key actors

Ofcom, Dame Chi Onwurah, Kate Davies, Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, UK Parliament, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Notable line

“We are clear in our expectations that these recommendations need to be acted on, and we will be tracking adoption and reporting on it by”

Key Quotes

“Ofcom is required under the Online Safety Act 2023 (the OSA) to produce a statement of recommendations which promotes ways in which providers of regulated services might develop, pursue and evaluate activities or initiatives relevant to media literacy.”
— Kate Davies, Ofcom · Explaining the statutory basis and scope of the recommendations

“No single organisation can improve media literacy at a population level on its own. However online and broadcasting services have daily, large-scale reach, which gives them a critical role to play.”
— Kate Davies, Ofcom · Justifying focus on service providers as key actors in media literacy improvement

“While the OSA provisions mean that the recommendations are not enforceable we will be working with services to drive adoption.”
— Kate Davies, Ofcom · Clarifying the non-binding nature but commitment to implementation support

“Should we find limited progress towards the intended policy outcomes, we will highlight this to Government and Parliament.”
— Kate Davies, Ofcom · Outlining escalation pathway if voluntary adoption proves insufficient by 2029

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Source · parliament.uk record ↗