Ofcom has issued a stark warning that TikTok and YouTube are “still not safe enough” for children in a damning new report. The communications regulator has pledged to “force through” additional changes and accused some major technology firms of “failing” to take adequate steps to protect children, “despite overwhelming evidence of harm”.
Personalised Feeds Under Fire
Ofcom’s own research, published on Thursday, reveals that “personalised feeds are the primary route through which children encounter harmful content” online. The regulator noted that messaging service Snapchat, gaming platform Roblox, and Meta—the owner of Instagram and Facebook—have all agreed to implement further safety measures to shield children from online grooming.
However, TikTok and YouTube have failed to outline additional safety measures for young people, despite being asked to explain how they would do so by the end of April. Ofcom stated: “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. Our wealth of evidence, published today, suggests they are still not safe enough.”
Industry Responses
Neither TikTok nor YouTube has committed to substantial changes in response to Ofcom’s specific demands. YouTube claims it offers “age-appropriate” experiences for children, while TikTok expressed disappointment that its safety features were not acknowledged. Ofcom’s children’s online safety tracker compared young people’s experiences before and after online safety duties came into effect in July 2025. Its findings indicate that around seven in 10 children aged 11 to 17 surveyed in November and December last year reported experiencing harmful content online—a level similar to that recorded in March and April of the same year.
Minimum Age Policies Under Scrutiny
Ofcom noted that while Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok—all of which have a minimum age of 13 in their terms of use—recognise the importance of age policies, the regulator is “not currently convinced” that existing commitments by any of them “ensure they will effectively prevent children under 13 from accessing their sites and apps”.
Snapchat has agreed to prevent adult strangers from contacting children by default, stop encouraging children to expand their friendship groups to unknown individuals, and “roll out highly effective age-checks to all users over the summer to ensure that all under-18s in the UK benefit from these new safety measures”. Roblox has committed to giving parents the ability to disable direct chat services entirely for under-16s. Meta plans to use artificial intelligence tools to detect sexualised conversations between adults and teens in Instagram direct messages.
Enforcement and Future Action
Ofcom is scrutinising further details requested from Meta, TikTok, and YouTube, “given the particularly high levels of usage of these services, on how they detect and prevent children being exposed to harmful content”. The watchdog has pledged to take enforcement action, which could include fines, if it finds services “are not complying with their duties to use appropriate systems to prevent children’s exposure to harmful content”.
Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom’s chief executive, said: “These changes have the potential to make children’s lives safer online. 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.”
A government consultation into children’s experiences online, including potential social media age restrictions, restrictions on addictive design features, and better support for parents and families, is due to close next week. Chris Sherwood, chief executive of the NSPCC, stated: “For far too long, tech giants have dragged their heels by refusing to address the harmful and addictive content flooding children’s feeds and putting them at risk. This is why we strongly support Ofcom challenging tech companies and demanding transparency on how they plan to improve their platforms to protect children.”
Andy Burrows, chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, welcomed Ofcom “starting to bare its teeth against Big Tech companies that have been complacent and evasive when it comes to protecting children from preventable harm”. A Meta spokesperson said the company has been “investing in tools and policies to ensure teens have safe, positive online experiences” and is “rolling out new safety protections for teens”. A TikTok spokesperson expressed disappointment that Ofcom failed to acknowledge its safety features, including no direct messaging for under-16s and enhanced age assurance technologies. A YouTube spokesperson highlighted the platform’s “industry-leading, age-appropriate, high-quality experiences for young viewers” and noted that YouTube Kids and Kid & Teen Accounts offer age-appropriate experiences with extra protections.
