LONDON – Tech giants TikTok and YouTube have come under heavy fire from Britain’s media regulator after failing to commit to “any significant changes” to curb the flow of harmful content to young users.
Despite insistence from the social media giants that their feeds are secure, UK watchdog Ofcom released a damning assessment on Thursday, declaring flatly that the platforms are “still not safe enough” for children.
“Our wealth of evidence, published today, suggests they are still not safe enough,” Ofcom stated.
Rising exposure, minimal action
The findings highlight a troubling stagnation in tech safety compliance. Since the UK’s statutory online safety duties for children took effect in July 2025, Ofcom reported “little change” in kids’ overall exposure to toxic material.
The data shows that nearly three-quarters of teenagers aged 11 to 17—specifically 73 per cent—encountered harmful content within a mere four-week window. Furthermore, just over a third (35 per cent) of these children actively recalled seeing the damaging material directly when they were “scrolling on their feed.”
The problem remains heavily concentrated on mainstream feeds. Among secondary school-aged children who witnessed harmful content, TikTok was the primary culprit at 53 per cent, followed by YouTube (excluding YouTube Kids) at 36 per cent, Instagram at 34 per cent, and Facebook at 31 per cent.
Underage users and silent suffering
The crisis is further compounded by under-reporting and widespread platform policy evasion. An Ofcom survey conducted in November and December last year revealed that while seven in 10 children aged 11 to 17 had faced online harm, only 15 per cent told an adult about what they had seen, leaving the vast majority to process the experience in silence.
Furthermore, standard age-gate restrictions are proving virtually useless in keeping younger children off these platforms.
“Our latest research shows that 84 per cent of children aged 8–12 are still using one of the top five reach online services (YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat) despite a minimum age of 13,” the watchdog added.
Turning up the legal heat
Ofcom is no longer just asking for compliance—it is demanding it.
The regulator confirmed it has issued in-depth, legally binding requests for information to Meta, TikTok, and YouTube, forcing them to detail exactly how they detect and prevent children from being exposed to harmful content. Ofcom is currently reviewing the platforms’ responses to determine its next enforcement steps. – May 22, 2026