Online Safety Laws Fail Kids: Harm Unchanged

The UK's Online Safety Act has failed to curb the proportion of children experiencing harm from social media content, according to Ofcom. A review of the first nine months following the Act's implementation in July 2025 revealed no significant change in children encountering frightening or upsetting material. Campaigners describe this lack of progress as 'staggering,' noting that the severity of harm has also seen no measurable reduction.

Ofcom identified personalized recommendation feeds, driven by 'for you' algorithms, as a primary cause for the continuous exposure to harmful content. Examples include children seeing graphic violence, pornography, and material that causes them to feel unsafe. This situation persists despite the Act's requirements for tech giants like TikTok and Instagram to protect children from illegal and harmful content.

Child protection charities like NSPCC report children are still exposed at alarming rates, with calls to their support services echoing these concerns. Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom's chief executive, has stated that a "safety culture" is not evident among large social media companies. The regulator faces legal challenges from tech firms and warns of potential legal repercussions.

Misspelled hashtags and coded language are increasingly used to bypass moderation systems, particularly for misogynistic and racist content. While some platforms, like Minecraft and YouTube, have shown reductions in certain harmful content, the overall trend for user-to-user services remains a concern. The government plans an Australia-style social media ban for under-16s from next spring, but campaigners argue this should not overshadow the enforcement of existing protections under the Online Safety Act, as older teens and users of gaming and messaging platforms will remain at risk.