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Ian Cheshire Assumes Role as Ofcom Chair Amid Online Safety Priorities
Ian Cheshire has been appointed as the new chair of Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator. His responsibilities include overseeing the implementation of the Online Safety Act, which regulates social media platforms. The role also encompasses regulation of telecoms, broadband, postal services, and public service broadcasting.
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Ian Cheshire has taken on the position of chair at Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator. The appointment comes as the regulator prepares to implement its 2026/27 plan, which addresses telecoms, broadband, postal services, media, and online platforms. Online safety issues are expected to form a significant part of his responsibilities.
Ofcom oversees the Online Safety Act, legislation passed in 2023 that sets safety rules for social media, search, and video platforms. The act's implementation began under former chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes, including the introduction of age-gating measures last year. These measures require platforms to verify user ages to protect children from harmful content.
the Online Safety Act Ofcom was established in 2003 to regulate communications sectors.
At that time, two-thirds of the UK population lacked internet access, and technologies such as iPhones, smart speakers, iPlayer, YouTube, TikTok, and 4G networks did not exist. Britons sent three times more letters than they do today, according to Ofcom's 2026/27 plan.
The Online Safety Act aims to reduce illegal and harmful online content, including measures to prevent such material from going viral and to assess the effectiveness of age-gating.
Additional requirements for major platforms like Google and Instagram remain pending due to a court case. Ofcom is currently investigating an incident involving the AI tool Grok, owned by Elon Musk's xAI, which partially generated images of women and girls without clothing.
Influential figures in online safety, such as Ian Russell, whose daughter Molly Russell died by suicide in 2017 after viewing harmful online content, have called for stronger enforcement.
Russell last year urged a change in Ofcom leadership, citing delays in blocking a UK-accessible online suicide forum. Beeban Kidron, a filmmaker and peer in the House of Lords, has also advocated for tougher regulations. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall expressed concerns about delays in rolling out parts of the Online Safety Act.
