The UK’s online safety regulator, Ofcom, has admitted that its landmark online safety laws have failed to protect children from harmful content on social media. This admission comes from a comprehensive review of the first nine months following the implementation of the Online Safety Act in July 2025. Source: theguardian.com.
Ofcom’s Findings on Children’s Exposure
Ofcom found that the proportion of children aged eight to 17 encountering harmful content—such as pornography, serious violence, suicide material, racism, and misogyny—has remained nearly unchanged since the new regulations took effect. The regulator describes this as ‘concerning’ and shows no improvement in children’s safety.
The review tracked how children access harmful content, assessed its impact on wellbeing, and evaluated use of safety tools like age checks and content filters. Despite these efforts, many children still face distressing material that causes fear, confusion, and emotional upset.
Personalised Feeds as a Key Driver
Personalised recommendation algorithms—like ‘for you’ feeds—are a major source of harmful content. These systems prioritise engagement by showing content based on user history. They often push extreme or sensational material, including graphic depictions of violence and suicide.
Children have been shown content such as the murder of Charlie Kirk, weapon-related imagery, and explicit pornography. These feeds are not designed to protect children, but to keep users engaged.
Gender-Specific Risks and Content Evasion
Girls are most likely to see pornography and suicide-related content through personalised feeds. The content often appears normal or relatable, leading to confusion and emotional distress.
Young men and boys are increasingly exposed to motivational content that quickly turns into extreme material promoting misogyny, racism, and harmful body ideals. This content uses misspelled hashtags or coded language to avoid detection by moderation systems.
Real-World Tragedies and Public Response
A coroner concluded that access to suicide-related material on TikTok may have contributed to 14-year-old Adriana Retyte’s decision to take her own life in May. This case highlights how harmful content can have real, tragic consequences.
Clavicular, a 20-year-old influencer linked to Andrew Tate, pleaded not guilty to rape charges in a US court. This raises concerns about the influence of toxic masculinity content on young male audiences.
These incidents show that unregulated content has real-world impacts and underscores the need for platforms to take responsibility for user safety.
Child Protection Groups React
Rani Govender, head of child safety at the NSPCC, said progress is not happening fast enough. She noted that tech companies have had months to act, yet many still rely on design features that prioritise engagement over safety.
‘We urgently need stronger action from tech companies to rein in harmful features,’ she said. ‘Algorithms are pushing dangerous content without proper oversight.’
Ofcom’s Position and Industry Challenges
Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom’s chief executive, told MPs that no safety culture exists in major social media companies. While some progress has been made—like age checks and better grooming safeguards—many platforms still operate with minimal design changes.
Ofcom has faced legal challenges from Meta, TikTok, and X. These companies argue that Ofcom’s powers are too broad and could lead to unfair regulation.
Ofcom warns it may face significant legal action from large firms, given their financial power and scale.
What Ofcom Has Documented
- Tracking of children’s exposure to harmful content on user-to-user platforms.
- Analysis of how harmful content affects children’s emotional and mental wellbeing.
- Assessment of children’s use of safety tools such as age verification and content filters.
Ofcom recorded some reductions in harmful content on platforms like Minecraft, Call of Duty, YouTube, Pinterest, and Facebook. But these improvements are inconsistent and do not solve the core problem of algorithmic harm.
Ofcom launched a formal investigation into TikTok in July, focusing on how it verifies user age and separates children from adults during content delivery.
Proposed Social Media Ban and Its Limits
The proposed ban will cover platforms like Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, and Facebook. It will not apply to messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Signal.
While the ban aims to reduce exposure, campaigners warn it is not enough. Mitali Sud of Internet Matters said children still face risks on gaming and messaging platforms, where content is less visible and harder to regulate.
Government and Industry Responses
A government spokesperson said platforms have both a moral and legal duty to protect children. The government is banning social media for under-16s and restricting harmful features like livestreaming and stranger communication on gaming services.
‘We are not and never will be bystanders,’ the spokesperson said. ‘Platforms must work with us to set a new normal for future generations.’
Ofcom’s report has been shared with Lisa Nandy, the secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport, to guide future policy.
TikTok, Meta, X, and Google have been contacted for comment, but no official responses have been published.
Despite some progress, the overall picture shows inadequate protection for children. Experts, parents, and child safety advocates agree that stronger, more transparent, and enforceable action is needed—especially to address how algorithms shape children’s online experiences and affect their mental health.
Sources & further reading
Featured image: original publisher image. Via original publisher. Image source
