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Van der Waals materials with long-range magnetic order show a range of correlated phenomena that could be of use in the development of optoelectronic and spintronic applications. Magnetically ordered van der Waals semiconductors with spin-polarized currents are, in particular, sensitive to external stimuli such as strain, electrostatic fields, magnetic fields and electromagnetic radiation. Their combination of two-dimensional magnetic order, semiconducting band structure and weak dielectric screening means that these materials could be used to create novel atomically thin opto-spintronic devices. Here we explore the development of van der Waals opto-spintronics. We examine the interplay between optical, magnetic and electronic excitations in van der Waals magnetic semiconductors, and explore the control of their magnetization via external stimuli. We consider fabrication and passivation strategies for the practical handling and design of opto-spintronic devices. We also explore potential opto-spintronic device architectures and applications, which include magnonics, quantum transduction, neuromorphic computing and non-volatile memory.