TikTok and YouTube 'not safe enough' for children, says Ofcom

TikTok and YouTube have been criticised by the communications watchdog for "failing" to take steps to protect children "despite overwhelming evidence of harm".

Ofcom had given Facebook, Instagram, Roblox, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube until the end of April to explain what actions they were taking on age checks, preventing online grooming and tackling harmful algorithms.

The regulator said social media site TikTok and video clip website YouTube had not "committed to any significant changes in response to our specific demands", instead maintaining their feeds were "already safe for children".

Ofcom said its evidence suggested their feeds "are still not safe enough".

It said its research, published on Thursday, showed "personalised feeds are the primary route through which children encounter harmful content" online.

Seven in 10 children aged 11 to 17 who took part in Ofcom's survey in November and December last year said they had experienced harmful content online, with just 15% telling an adult about what they had seen.

More than half (51%) of children said they had been asked to prove their age to access content online, with facial scanning the most common method, followed by uploading a passport or ID, or taking a selfie for verification.

Ofcom said it was "not currently convinced" existing commitments by Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok - which all have a minimum age of 13 in their terms of use - "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 more measures to protect children from online grooming.

It said adult strangers will be prevented from contacting children on Snapchat by default, children will no longer be encouraged to expand their friendship groups to people they do not know, and the platform had agreed to "roll out highly effective age checks to all users over the summer".

Roblox, which had previously faced criticism over its approach to safety, had committed to giving parents the ability to switch off direct chat services entirely for under-16s.

Meta planned to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to detect sexualised conversations between adults and teens in Instagram direct messages, Ofcom added.

The watchdog's investigation into Grok, X's AI chatbot, is ongoing - after a Reuters report earlier this year found the ‌tool could generate sexualised images.

Pledge to 'force through' change

Ofcom pledged to "force through" more changes and take enforcement action, which could include a fine, if it found platforms were not taking steps to prevent children from being exposed to harmful content.

Ofcom chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes said: "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."

Ministers are consulting on whether to ban under-16s from social media and bring in an Australia-style policy. The consultation is due to close next week.

Chris Sherwood, chief executive of children's charity the NSPCC, said: "For far too long, tech giants have dragged their heels by refusing to address the harmful and addictive content flooding children's feeds and putting them at risk. This is why we strongly support Ofcom challenging tech companies and demanding transparency on how they plan to improve their platforms to protect children."

He welcomed Snapchat's action on age checks as "a crucial change if measures to prevent grooming are going to make a difference for children in practice". However, he said it was "deeply concerning that tech companies are still failing to recognise and address the harmful nature of their algorithms".

"These systems are at the heart of children's online experiences. We must see these services go further and be held accountable for transformational change which puts children's safety and wellbeing at the centre of platform design," he added.

Kerry Smith, chief executive of the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), said the measures were welcome but the "most effective changes will be far more fundamental".

"A lot of the material we see online involves children who have been groomed or coerced by online perpetrators into sexual abuse. The perpetrator may never physically meet their victim, but internet platforms allow them to exert and abuse power over children," she warned.

"New platforms, tools, and services need to be built with safety by design at the core. Tomorrow's internet can only be a safe place for children if today's new tools are rigorously proven to be resistant to abuse before they are released to the global public."

Tech firms respond

A spokesperson for TikTok 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."

A YouTube spokesperson 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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A Meta spokesperson said it had been "investing in tools and policies to ensure teens have safe, positive online experiences" and was "rolling out new safety protections for teens", adding the company would "continue to engage with Ofcom on these important issues".

Roblox told Sky News: "We welcome Ofcom's acknowledgement of the concrete steps we have taken to enhance safeguards on Roblox. We are deeply committed to building a safe and civil platform for all our players."

A Snapchat spokesperson said the platform "was built with safety and privacy at its core, and we are proud of our ongoing investments in safeguards for teens".

"To meet Ofcom's specific requirements under the UK Online Safety Act, we are rolling out even stronger measures that build on this foundation while preserving privacy protections and the ability for our community to stay connected with their real friends and family."

(c) Sky News 2026: TikTok and YouTube 'not safe enough' for children, says Ofcom