Ofcom, the UK’s online safety regulator, has released a package of proposed measures for social media and other online platforms must take to improve children’s online safety.

The proposed measures are empowered via the Online Safety Act, which gives Ofcom the jurisdiction to further regulate the safety of the internet.

The Act is not without controversy, however, as recently many bereaved parents have called out the UK government for not take enough action against online harms to protect their children.

While the rules are currently just proposals, they are expected to come into effect in Summer 2025.

What Are the New Measures?

To start, online platforms must conduct a risk assessment on how likely it is children will access their site – if a child is likely to access it, then a further risk assessment must take place. This will investigate the actual risks posed to children using the site, as well as the risk that comes from the design, functionality, and algorithms included in the platform.

One of the highlighted measures Ofcom is pushing is for more robust age checks across the internet. Services that do not have outright bans on harmful content should introduce highly effective age checks to prevent children from access the entire platform, or at least content that is inappropriate for under-18s.

Further, Ofcom is calling on companies to introduce safer algorithms that do not recommend harmful content to children. As part of this, children should be able to provide negative feedback to algorithms so the platforms can learn what content they do not want to see.

Effective moderation of harmful content is also key, and this falls not just on online platforms but on large search services. Ofcom is calling for improvements to safe search settings for children which must filter out the most harmful content. As part of this, online services must be clear on their moderation policies, what content is allowed on their site, how it is reviewed, and they must also ensure that content moderation teams are well-trained and resourced.

Ofcom believes that these changes will improve children’s online experiences and protect them from harmful and age-inappropriate content more effectively.

According to the internet watchdog, the measures will more robustly prevent children from accessing pornography and seeing or being recommended harmful content.

Further, children will not be added to group chats on messaging platforms without their consent, and it will be easier for children to complain if they do see harmful content.

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Reactions

Tech giants Meta and Snapchat have shared their mostly supportive views of the measures, citing that they already have measures in place to protect their underage users.

Parents of bereaved children, who died as a result of experiencing online harms, are unimpressed with the new measures.

In an open letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Keir Starmer, parents urged politicians and the government to do more to promote online safety and protect children online. They are pleading with politicians in Westminster to strengthen the Online Safety Act.

“While we will study Ofcom’s latest proposals carefully, we have so far been disappointed by their lack of ambition,” they said in the letter.

Bereaved parents have also expressed their frustration at Ofcom’s process, claiming they have been excluded from consultations on online safety as the regulator formulates measures.