Ofcom has warned that TikTok and YouTube are “still not safe enough” for children, accusing the platforms of failing to take adequate steps to protect young users despite “overwhelming evidence of harm”. The communications regulator said its own research, published on Thursday, found that personalised feeds are the primary route through which children encounter harmful content online.
While messaging service Snapchat, gaming platform Roblox, and Meta – which owns Instagram and Facebook – have agreed to adopt further safety measures to protect children from online grooming, TikTok and YouTube have not committed to any significant changes. Ofcom noted that both companies maintained their feeds are already safe for children, but the regulator said its evidence suggests they are “still not safe enough”.
Ofcom’s children’s online safety tracker, which compared young people’s experiences before and after online safety duties came into effect in July 2025, found that about seven in 10 children aged 11 to 17 surveyed in late 2025 reported encountering harmful content online – a similar level to earlier in the year.
The regulator said it is “not currently convinced” that existing commitments by Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok will effectively prevent children under 13 from accessing their sites and apps. It noted that Snapchat has agreed to prevent adult strangers from contacting children by default and to roll out age-checks to all users over the summer. Roblox has committed to giving parents the ability to switch off direct chat for under-16s, while Meta plans to use AI tools to detect sexualised conversations between adults and teens in Instagram direct messages.
Ofcom said it is scrutinising further details from Meta, TikTok and YouTube on how they detect and prevent children’s exposure to harmful content, given the high usage of these services. It pledged to take enforcement action, including potential fines, if services are not complying with their duties. Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom chief executive, said: “We are determined to force through further changes, using the full extent of our powers and influence.”
