Social media companies strengthen child protection but Ofcom says more to be done

Social media companies have agreed to adopt additional safety measures to protect children online after pressure from Ofcom.

However, the regulator has also said it will further scrutinise other companies who had failed to set out how they would improve safety on their platforms – particularly in relation to making feeds safer.

It follows Ofcom making a public call for action, encouraging companies to introduce new anti-grooming measures.

Snap, Meta and Roblox have all confirmed additional mechanisms – such as tighter default settings for children’s contacts, AI detection tools, and direct chat controls – will be implemented to protect children from strangers.

But TikTok and Youtube failed to commit to significant changes. These companies will now undergo an independent audit which will allow Ofcom to issue remote inspection notices to observe how services’ content detection, moderation systems, algorithms and age-checks are working in real time.

Melanie Dawes, Ofcom chief executive, said: “Ofcom’s sustained public and private pressure on the tech platforms where children spend most time has delivered some significant safety improvements – particularly against grooming.

“However, more change is needed, and we remain deeply concerned that, despite overwhelming evidence of harm, companies are still failing to take the necessary action to keep underage children off their platforms and make their feeds safer.

“We are determined to force through further changes, using the full extent of our powers and influence. We will also bring our evidence and experience to bear as the government considers responses to its national conversation on children’s safety and social media.”

The regulator has published a five-point action plan to deliver further changes, including a commitment to monitoring the implementation of the new safety features, taking enforcement action where there is suspicion of non-compliance with the Online Safety Act, and engaging with the UK Government on its consultation on children’s social media use.

Ofcom has also called for ministers to toughen up legislation on age controls.

Research found that 84 per cent of children between eight and 12 continue to use services like YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat, despite these platforms having a minimum age of 13.

Current laws do not require services to keep underage children off their platforms via robust age checks. Ofcom has written to technology secretary Liz Kendall to advise that enforcement of minimum age policies will require clearer legislation.