TikTok and YouTube, two of the world’s biggest advertising platforms, are facing tougher sanctions on online safety in the UK after failing to outline how they will protect children on their services.
Regulator Ofcom has vowed to “force through” more changes to make the content feeds safer, after its own research showed personalised feeds being the primary route through which children encounter harmful content online.
Despite being asked to explain how they would do so by the end of April, the regulator said neither firm had “committed to any significant changes in response to our specific demands”, insisting that their feeds are already safe for children.
Ofcom’s children’s online safety tracker compared young people’s experiences before and after online safety duties came into effect in July 2025.
Findings showed that seven in 10 children aged 11-17 surveyed in November and December last year said they had experienced harmful content online, which was a similar level reported in the research carried out in March and April of that year.
Personal feeds remained the most likely route through which 11-17 year-olds said they were exposed to harmful content (35%) – a similar proportion to findings from before the new duties came into effect (37%).
The research showed that while more children told an adult about harmful content they had seen, the proportion remained low at 15%, up from 10% before the duties came into force.
More than half (51%) of children surveyed said they had been asked to prove their age to access content online, up from 41% – with facial scanning the most common method, followed by uploading a passport or ID or taking a selfie for verification.
However, the research also showed nine in 10 children aged eight-12 are using online services with a minimum age requirement of 13, with the regulator warning that a lack of action to enforce these requirements was “concerning”.
Ofcom said while Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok – which all have a minimum age of 13 in their terms of use – recognise the importance of minimum age policies, the regulator is “not currently convinced” existing commitments “ensure they will effectively prevent children under 13 from accessing their sites and apps”.
The watchdog said messaging service Snapchat, gaming platform Roblox, and Meta – which owns Instagram and Facebook – had all agreed to adopt further safety measures to protect children from online grooming.
Roblox, which has previously faced criticism over its approach to safety, has committed to giving parents the ability to switch off direct chat services entirely for under-16s, the watchdog said.
Meanwhile, Meta plans to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to detect sexualised conversations between adults and teens in Instagram direct messages, Ofcom added.
But the regulator said it was scrutinising further details it had 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 pledged to take enforcement action, if it finds services “are not complying with their duties to use appropriate systems to prevent children’s exposure to harmful content”.
Ofcom chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes 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. We will also bring our evidence and experience to bear as the Government considers responses to its national conversation on children’s safety and social media.”
In response, a TikTok spokesperson said: “It’s very disappointing that Ofcom has failed to acknowledge both our longstanding and newer safety features, from no direct messaging for under-16s, pre-set private teen accounts, to our recently enhanced age assurance technologies. We will continue to make ongoing investments in safety measures for our users.”
Meanwhile, YouTube said the platform “provides industry-leading, age-appropriate, high-quality experiences for young viewers, working with child safety experts to deliver protections that support millions of families across the UK”, adding that its “YouTube Kids, and Kid & Teen Accounts on YouTube, offer age-appropriate experiences with extra protections”.
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