Online services, including YouTube and TikTok, have not done enough to protect kids on their platforms, according to UK media watchdog Ofcom, and it pledged to bring enforcement action if the platforms continue to fail to protect kids online.
Ofcom released multiple research reports today that examine how kids use technology and how platforms can be made safer for young users.
One of Ofcom’s key points from this data dump is that even though rules went into effect in July 2025 telling social media platforms to protect kids, there hasn’t been much improvement. This is particularly true of YouTube and TikTok, which have not made it clear how they intend to make their “recommender feeds” safe for kids, Ofcom said.
YouTube and TikTok have not responded to Kidscreen’s request for comment before publication deadline, but pointed BBC News to safety measures they’ve undertaken, such as TikTok disabling direct messaging features for kids and YouTube allowing parents to set time limits for scrolling Shorts.
“There has been little change in children’s overall exposure to harmful content, with nearly three-quarters of 11- to 17-year-olds (73%) encountering it in a four-week period,” Ofcom said in a release today. “Just over a third (35%) of these children recalled exposure to harmful content when they were ‘scrolling on their feed’. Half of secondary school-aged children who see harmful content recall coming across it on TikTok (53%), followed by YouTube excluding YouTube Kids (36%), Instagram (34%) and Facebook (31%).”
Some of the “harmful” content kids are being exposed to on these platforms includes bullying and hateful content, Ofcom said. Ofcom conducted the studies to get these numbers between November and December 2025.
However, Ofcom says that it has compelled some tech firms to commit to stronger protections because of its efforts. Roblox, Snap and Meta have told Ofcom they plan to introduce new safety measures to protect kids from dangerous strangers, according to the org, like stronger default settings for who kids are allowed to contact, chat controls and AI-detection tools.
Ofcom outlined the minimum outcomes it wants to see from tech companies, like improving age enforcement or protection from grooming, as well as the efforts these platforms have pledged to make in one of its reports today. And some of the commitments it’s heard have been reassuring, the org says. For example, Roblox highlighted to Ofcom its overhauled kids experience, including new account types for kids that disable all communication features by default for ages five to eight, as well as a feature that allows parents to turn off direct chat entirely for under-16s.
These changes are a positive step, the regulator notes. “We welcome Roblox’s innovative approach to grooming protections, but these protections will only work robustly when backed up by highly effective age assurance,” Ofcom said. The org’s report boils down to this: commitments are good, but they must lead to action.
Ofcom has a five-point plan to make sure change happens. The regulator plans to:
- Continue monitoring the services
- Review evidence the services submit about changes they’re making to their “recommender feeds,” with an update to come in July
- Launch enforcement action when it suspects non-compliance
- Monitor kids’ experiences through research
- Connect with the government, which is currently investigating the minimum age kids should be on social media
“We are determined to drive change by all means necessary, unless services can demonstrate urgent and credible action plans to make feeds safer for children,” Ofcom said. “Any service that ultimately fails to comply with their duties to protect children can expect enforcement action.”
For UK kids content producers, these findings likely come as little surprise, especially when it comes to YouTube. Steve Smith, founder and producer at UK animation studio Beakus (Alien Book Club) took to LinkedIn in response to the report to highlight how platforms like YouTube should be doing more to support kids and the industry. “The way I see it, these platforms already possess the tools to solve this problem: their algorithm. If they could tweak it just a bit so that low-quality clickbait slop gets immediately sunk by the algorithm, whilst simultaneously boosting high-quality content, perhaps we wouldn’t need a [social media] ban?” The UK is one of the many countries around the globe considering a ban on allowing kids to use social media as parents and governments have started to turn against big tech platforms.
UK non-profit The Children’s Media Foundation agrees with Ofcom’s findings that YouTube and TikTok can do more to be safer for kids, but it also wants to see child safety built into every platform kids use, the org said in a statement to Kidscreen. “Regulators—using existing powers—could put an end to some of the worst-case design flaws such as algorithmic amplification, engagement-maximising notifications and addictive infinite scrolling.”
Ofcom timed the release of the news today to coincide with its publication of fresh research on how kids spend their time online. One of the multiple documents it released today is the Children’s Online Experiences report, which found that almost all eight- to 17-year-olds (99%) are online and most (78%) have their own mobile phone. The report highlights how popular services like YouTube and TikTok are among kids, and why it’s important these platforms protect young users.
YouTube (excluding YouTube Kids) was the most popular social media and video sharing platform among children (used by 67% of kids), beating WhatsApp, which they use for messaging (61%), TikTok (60%) and Snapchat (50%). Around four in 10 kids use Instagram, Facebook and Roblox.
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