Social Media Platforms (Ofcom Licensing) Bill presented in UK Parliament

A new private member’s bill has been presented in the UK Parliament that would introduce a licensing regime for social media platforms operating in the UK. The Social Media Platforms (Ofcom Licensing) Bill was introduced in the House of Lords on 8 September 2026 by crossbench peer and children’s rights advocate Baroness Floella Benjamin.

Under the proposed legislation, social media platforms accessible to UK users would be required to obtain a licence from Ofcom, the UK’s online safety regulator. Ofcom would be able to set binding conditions covering areas including online safety, content moderation, transparency and other regulatory obligations.

The bill would also give Ofcom powers to suspend or revoke a platform’s licence where the platform breaches its conditions. This would provide the regulator with a potential means of restricting a platform’s ability to operate in the UK in cases of serious non-compliance.

The proposal would add a licensing mechanism to the UK’s existing framework under the Online Safety Act 2023. The Act already places duties on regulated user-to-user and search services to assess and mitigate risks associated with illegal content and, for services used by children, content that is harmful to children. Ofcom can also issue enforcement notices and impose significant fines for non-compliance.

Under the existing framework, Ofcom can issue technology notices requiring the use of accredited tools to detect terrorism and child sexual exploitation and abuse content, subject to minimum accuracy standards. Non-compliance with the Online Safety Act can result in fines of up to £18 million or 10% of a company’s qualifying worldwide revenue, while certain circumstances can also result in senior manager liability.

The proposed licensing system would add another layer to this framework. Rather than relying primarily on enforcement measures after a breach has occurred, the bill would make continued access to the UK market conditional on holding an Ofcom licence and complying with its conditions. Suspension or revocation would become potential remedies for breaches.

As of 9 September 2026, the bill has been introduced and recorded in Parliament but has not yet been debated. As a private member’s bill, it is sponsored by an individual parliamentarian rather than the government. Its progress would therefore depend on parliamentary time and, potentially, government support.

The proposal comes as the UK continues to develop its online safety framework. Further regulations under the Online Safety Act are being prepared, including stronger age-assurance requirements and potential restrictions on high-risk features for under-16s from spring 2027. Ofcom has also been developing requirements and guidance covering areas such as age assurance, transparency reporting and risk assessment.

If adopted, the Social Media Platforms (Ofcom Licensing) Bill would introduce a different approach to regulating social media platforms in the UK by linking continued market access to an explicit regulatory licence. For now, however, the proposal remains a private member’s bill and is not law.