Ofcom has publicly acknowledged that the majority of fines issued under the Online Safety Act remain unpaid, exposing significant limitations in the regulator's enforcement powers. The regulator's director of enforcement told the House of Lords that most of the over £7 million in penalties imposed on 11 service providers have not been collected, as online platforms structure their business operations to evade payment, particularly when they lack UK assets. This collection shortfall undermines the practical effectiveness of Ofcom's enforcement authority.

Ofcom's enforcement action has focused primarily on smaller companies, especially in the pornography industry, with the largest fine to date being £1.4 million imposed on 8579 LLC in February. The regulator can seek court orders to restrict UK access to non-compliant services and has powers to hold senior managers personally liable, though these measures require continuing noncompliance and cannot be used solely to recover unpaid fines. Ofcom is working with the government to strengthen its enforcement powers whilst maintaining safeguards for freedom of expression, and claims to be more active than any other regulator worldwide, though its own internal metrics have left leadership "underwhelmed" by the OSA's actual impact on online safety.