Social media firms could be hit with heavy fines – or even banned from the UK – under new measures to protect children from online harm.
Watchdog Ofcom has published the final version of its children’s codes, part of the Online Safety Act, to set out what sites must do to protect young people.
It says they are a “reset for children online” and will mean “safer social media feeds”. However, some campaigners believe they don’t go far enough.
Ofcom says the codes set out an obligation to protect children from content that is misogynistic, violent, hateful or abusive – as well as safeguarding against online bullying, self harm and dangerous challenges.
Firms must do a risk assessment, and from 25 July the regulator says it will be able to impose fines – and in very serious cases “apply for a court order to prevent the site or app from being available in the UK”.
More than 27,000 children and 13,000 parents took part in research to develop the codes.
Laying out more than 40 measures and covering social media, search and gaming, they include:
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– Safer feeds – Algorithms must filter out harmful content
– Effective age checks – Ofcom says the “riskiest services must use highly effective age assurance”
– Fast action – All sites must have processes to review, assess and quickly tackle harmful content
– Easier reporting – There must be a straightforward way for children to report or complain about content
– More choice and support – Kids must be able to easily block or mute accounts, and disable comments on their posts
Ofcom boss Dame Melanie Dawes said it would mean “safer social media feeds with less harmful and dangerous content, protections from being contacted by strangers and effective age checks on adult content”.
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle called it a “watershed moment” that would help tackle “lawless, poisonous environments” and hold social media firms to account.
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However, Ian Russell, whose 14-year-old daughter Molly took her own life after seeing harmful content, said the codes were weak and left too much control with social media firms.
“I am dismayed by the lack of ambition in today’s codes. Instead of moving fast to fix things, the painful reality is that Ofcom’s measures will fail to prevent more young deaths like my daughter Molly’s,” he said.
“Ofcom’s risk-averse approach is a bitter pill for bereaved parents to swallow. Their overly cautious codes put the bottom line of reckless tech companies ahead of tackling preventable harm.”
Mr Russell, who now chairs the Molly Rose Foundation, urged the prime minister to personally intervene.
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Hollie Dance, the mother of Archie Battersbee – who died accidentally in a “prank or experiment”, also criticised the codes.
She said they were a “small step forward” but ultimately did not go far enough.
“Why are we tip-toeing around these huge platforms over children’s safety? The platforms routinely allege they do not allow harmful content,” she told Sky News.
“This doesn’t only gaslight Ofcom but gaslights bereaved parents too, those of us who have lost children to this harmful content. We can’t take a softly-softly approach to the platforms. Children’s mental health and safety should be paramount.”
A spokesperson for Meta – which owns Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram – said it had recently moved young people to a new teens account that limits who can contact them and the content they can see.
“Teens in the UK have automatically been moved into these enhanced protections and under 16s need a parent’s permission to change them,” said the spokesperson.
Meta also said it supported calls for app stores or operating systems to verify a child’s age and obtain parental approval before under-16s can download any app.
The Online Safety Act was passed in October 2023 and much of it is concerned with protecting children. However, its protections are only just taking effect through Ofcom’s various codes of practice.
Earlier this month, the watchdog said it had begun investigating a suicide forum – the first probe into an individual service provider to be launched under the act.
:: Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.
