Ofcom has criticized TikTok and YouTube, stating in a new report that their content feeds are “not safe enough” for children. The findings come after the regulator called for stronger action on children’s online safety and noted that Meta, Snap, and Roblox each agreed to implement tougher anti-grooming measures.
Ofcom added that it would share concerns about platforms failing to enforce minimum age rules effectively with the government, whose consultation on whether to ban social media for under-16s is soon coming to a close.
YouTube responded that it works with child safety experts to provide “industry-leading, age-appropriate” experiences for children. TikTok said it was “very disappointing” that Ofcom had failed to recognize its safety features.
The criticism appears in a new report examining how five major social media and video platforms responded to Ofcom’s demand for stronger child protections. “Notably, TikTok and YouTube failed to commit to any significant changes to reduce harmful content being served to children, maintaining their feeds are already safe for children,” the report said. “Our wealth of evidence, published today, suggests they are still not safe enough.”
In reply, TikTok and YouTube pointed to existing safety features on their apps, including TikTok’s restriction on direct messaging for users under 16 and YouTube’s short-form video timer, which allows parents to set time limits for the Shorts feed.
Social media consultant and analyst Matt Navarra said the criticism reflects a shift toward viewing online harms as “a product problem.” He explained, “The old debate was, ‘did the platform remove harmful content quickly enough?’ The new one has shifted towards, ‘why did the platform show it to a child in the first place?'”
Ofcom has faced frequent calls to take stronger, faster action enforcing the UK’s online safety rules to protect children, with some critics arguing it has not acted quickly enough. Speaking on the BBC’s Today program on Thursday, Ofcom chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes defended the organization’s actions but acknowledged, “We’re talking about a twenty-year culture at Silicon Valley of not taking safety seriously; you can’t change that overnight.” She added that she knew the job was “not done” yet.
When asked what the regulator would do if platforms failed to comply, Dame Melanie said Ofcom was “ready to take the toughest enforcement action,” adding, “We will absolutely move into a formal investigation if we need to.”
In a separate statement before the report was published, Dawes said Ofcom was also “deeply concerned” that companies were still failing to take necessary action to keep underage children off their platforms. A survey by the regulator found that 84% of children aged 8 to 12 were still using at least one major service with a minimum age of 13, as Ofcom warned that stronger legislation might be required.
Online safety researcher Professor Victoria Baines said the findings were “unsurprising” given the “limited success” so far in removing accounts belonging to under-16s in Australia following its social media ban. “It may be that some platforms will have to use more behavioral data, what a user is watching, engaging with, and chatting about, to determine whether they really are above the minimum age,” she said.
Regarding grooming risks, Ofcom’s report highlighted changes made by Snap, Roblox, and Meta focused on reducing such dangers. Ofcom said Snap, which owns Snapchat, had agreed to block adult strangers from contacting children by default in the UK, stop encouraging children to add people they do not know, and introduce “highly effective” age checks this summer. A Snapchat spokesperson said the company would roll out these measures while “preserving privacy protections and the ability for our community to stay connected with their real friends and family.”
The report also stated that Roblox would allow parents to turn off direct chat entirely for users under 16, while Meta would hide teens’ Instagram connection lists by default and develop AI tools to detect likely sexualized conversations in direct messages.
Andy Burrows, chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, a UK-based online safety charity, welcomed the report, calling big tech platforms “complacent and evasive when it comes to protecting children from preventable harm.” He added, “Ofcom will be judged by how quickly it can reduce exposure to online harm. A stronger regulator must be accompanied by a conditional ban on personalised algorithms that continue to push out a tsunami of harmful content to teens.”
Ofcom said the promised changes must now be implemented quickly and properly, warning that it would act if platforms failed to deliver.
On the question of a social media ban, a government spokesperson said Ofcom had the government’s “full backing” to ensure firms prevented and removed harmful content from their platforms and feeds. “Too many children are still being exposed to harm online, and that cannot continue,” they said. “That’s why we’re considering the full range of options, from age limits and app curfews to an outright ban, and will set out next steps by the summer.”
The government’s consultation on whether to ban social media for under-16s is due to close on May 26, with the government planning to respond in the summer.
On Thursday, the Education Committee published its response to the consultation, calling for a ban on social media for under-16s. It also urged immediate action to curb features it said were deliberately designed to drive excessive screen use among under-18s, though it noted that a ban should only be seen as a starting point for online safety.
The committee chair Helen Hayes MP said that the Education Committee’s recent report is clear, social media firms cannot be relied upon to self-regulate.” “Until the safety of children and young people comes before commercial incentives, they will continue to be exposed to the worst of social media and online harms. We need a total reset.” She added, “Only a statutory ban on social media for under-16s, as well as restrictions on addictive and high-risk features for under-18s, will keep children safe from harm.”
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
