Online Safety Act 2023 Exempt Services Amendment Regulations

UK New Legislation

Published April 1st, 2026

Detected March 9th, 2026

Summary

The Welsh Ministers have issued the Online Safety Act 2023 (Exempt User-to-User and Search Services) (Amendment) Regulations 2026, amending Schedule 1 of the Online Safety Act 2023. These regulations, effective April 1, 2026, redefine which further education and training services in Wales are exempt from certain online safety regulations.

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What changed

These regulations amend Part 2 of Schedule 1 to the Online Safety Act 2023, specifically paragraph 36, to update the definition of exempt further education and training services in Wales. The amendment removes a reference to services secured under the repealed Learning and Skills Act 2000 and replaces it with a reference to further education and training funded or secured by the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research, the Welsh Ministers, or funded by a local authority in Wales. This change clarifies which educational services are exempt from regulation as user-to-user or search services under the Act.

Educational institutions in Wales that provide further education or training will need to review the updated definition to ensure they correctly understand their regulatory obligations under the Online Safety Act 2023. The regulations come into force on April 1, 2026, and while no specific compliance deadline is mentioned beyond the effective date, entities should ensure their internal classifications and compliance procedures align with the amended regulations by this date. Non-compliance could lead to regulatory scrutiny by the Office of Communications.

What to do next

Review the updated definition of exempt further education and training services in Schedule 1 of the Online Safety Act 2023.
Ensure internal classifications and compliance procedures align with the amended regulations by the effective date of April 1, 2026.

Source document (simplified)

Status:

This is the original version (as it was originally made). This item of legislation is currently only available in its original format.

Welsh Statutory Instruments

2026 No. 69

education

electronic communications

The Online Safety Act 2023 (Exempt User-to-User and Search Services) (Amendment) Regulations 2026

Made

4 March 2026

Coming into force

1 April 2026

The Welsh Ministers, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 221(5)(a) and (b) of the Online Safety Act 2023(1), make the following Regulations.

In accordance with the Senedd approval procedure applied by section 225(14) of the Online Safety Act 2023 a draft of this Welsh statutory instrument was laid before, and approved by resolution of, Senedd Cymru.

Title and coming into force

—(1) The title of these Regulations is the Online Safety Act 2023 (Exempt User-to-User and Search Services) (Amendment) Regulations 2026.

(2) These Regulations come into force on 1 April 2026.

Amendment to the Online Safety Act 2023

In the Online Safety Act 2023, in Part 2 of Schedule 1, for paragraph 36 substitute—

“ (1) Any further education or training in Wales that is—

(a) funded or otherwise secured by the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research (2),

(b) funded or otherwise secured by the Welsh Ministers, or

(2) Sub-paragraph (1) does not include further education or training in Wales provided by—

(a) an institution in Wales within the higher education sector, within the meaning of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 (4) (see section 91(5) of that Act), or

(b) a person who is a provider of such education or training only by reason of providing it to the person’s employees.

(3) In this paragraph, the references to “further education” and “training” have the meanings given by section 144(2), (4) and (5) of the Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Act 2022 (5). ”

Vikki Howells

Minister for Further and Higher Education, under authority of the Cabinet Secretary for Education, one of the Welsh Ministers

4 March 2026

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend Part 2 of Schedule 1 to the Online Safety Act 2023 (“ the 2023 Act ”), which is a list of descriptions of education and childcare services which are exempt from being regulated user-to-user or search services, as defined in section 4 of the 2023 Act (being exempt means that they are not subject to certain duties and to regulation by the Office of Communications).

These Regulations amend paragraph 36 of Schedule 1 by removing a reference to post-16 education (other than higher education) or training, the facilities for which are secured by the Welsh Ministers under the Learning and Skills Act 2000 (the relevant provisions of that Act were repealed by the Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Act 2022 (“ the 2022 Act ”)), and replacing it with a reference to further education or training that is funded or otherwise secured by the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research or by the Welsh Ministers, or funded by a local authority in Wales. Such education or training must be inspected by His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales under section 57 of the 2022 Act.

The Welsh Ministers’ Code of Practice on the carrying out of Regulatory Impact Assessments was considered in relation to these Regulations. As a result, it was not considered necessary to carry out a regulatory impact assessment as to the likely costs and benefits of complying with these Regulations.

(1) 2023 c. 50.

(2) The Commission for Tertiary Education and Research was established by section 1 of the Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Act 2022 (asc 1).

(3) 1996 c. 56.

(4) 1992 c. 13.

(5) 2022 asc 1.