Ofcom Says TikTok and YouTube Fail Children on Safety
BBC Business reported Wednesday that UK media regulator Ofcom has declared TikTok and YouTube insufficiently safe for children. The findings come from a formal review of how major platforms responded to earlier regulatory demands.
TikTok and YouTube Refuse Significant Commitments
Ofcom’s review examined five large platforms. It found TikTok and YouTube unwilling to commit to meaningful changes. Both companies maintained their recommendation feeds were already appropriate for younger users. Ofcom directly disputed that position. The regulator said its own evidence pointed to continued inadequacy. Neither platform accepted the regulator’s characterisation. TikTok called Ofcom’s failure to recognise existing protections “very disappointing.” YouTube said it collaborated with child safety specialists to deliver age-appropriate content experiences.
Social media analyst Matt Navarra framed the issue as a structural shift in how regulators now think. The debate has moved away from content removal speed, he said. Regulators now ask why harmful content reached a child at all.
Also Read: EU Begins Formal Proceedings Against TikTok Under Digital Services Act
Background: A Growing Regulatory Push
Ofcom’s scrutiny sits inside a broader tightening of online safety rules across the UK. The regulator has previously demanded stronger protections under the Online Safety Act. A separate government consultation on banning social media for under-16s closes on 26 May. The government has pledged a response before the end of summer. A parliamentary education committee published its own findings this week. It backed an outright ban and called for urgent curbs on features designed to maximise screen time among minors. Ofcom Chief Executive Dame Melanie Dawes said the regulator remained deeply troubled by platforms’ continued failure to enforce age limits. A regulator survey found 84% of eight-to-twelve-year-olds were still using services that set 13 as their minimum age.
Also Read: UK Online Safety Act: What It Means for Social Media Platforms
Three Platforms Agree to Stronger Grooming Protections
By contrast, Snap, Roblox and Meta each made concrete commitments. Snap agreed to block unknown adults from contacting children by default and to introduce stronger age verification this summer. Roblox said parents would gain the ability to disable direct chat for users under 16 entirely. Meta agreed to hide teenagers’ Instagram follower and following lists by default. It also committed to building AI tools capable of flagging likely sexualised conversations in private messages. Andy Burrows, chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, welcomed the moves but warned Ofcom would ultimately be judged by how fast it reduced children’s exposure to harmful content. Ofcom confirmed it would escalate concerns about weak age enforcement directly to government.
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