Major tech companies are beginning to prioritize child safety, but TikTok and YouTube are falling short.

      Big tech companies are finally recognizing the importance of child safety, and Ofcom continues to press for improvements.

      If your children use Snapchat, Instagram, or Roblox, they will soon see some significant changes. The UK regulator Ofcom has secured new commitments from these platforms to enhance protections for children against online predators and potential groomers.

      Snapchat is making the most significant changes by agreeing to implement all of Ofcom’s recommended measures to prevent grooming. By default, adult strangers will no longer be able to reach out to children, and kids won't be encouraged to add unknown people to their friend lists. Additionally, the platform will introduce age verification for all UK users this summer to ensure that those under 18 benefit from these protections.

      Roblox is also enhancing safety by allowing parents to completely disable direct chat for users under the age of 16. Meta is working on a new feature that will hide teenagers' connection lists on Instagram and intends to utilize AI tools to identify suspicious conversations between adults and minors.

      However, what about TikTok and YouTube?

      Not all platforms received praise. TikTok and YouTube did not commit to making any substantial changes to enhance the safety of their content feeds for children. Ofcom's research revealed that nearly 75% of 11 to 17-year-olds encountered harmful content within a four-week period, with more than a third finding it while scrolling their feeds. TikTok and YouTube ranked among the top platforms for these incidents. Both companies maintain that their feeds are already safe, but Ofcom disagrees.

      Why are 8-year-olds still using TikTok and Instagram?

      Research indicates that 84% of children aged 8 to 12 continue to use at least one platform. This is largely due to the ease with which users can bypass the existing age-verification policies of these platforms.

      Ofcom has reached out to the Secretary of State, suggesting that stronger legislation may be required to empower regulators to enforce age limits more effectively. In the meantime, Ofcom has presented a five-point action plan to monitor these commitments and advocate for further changes, with potential enforcement actions against platforms that do not comply.

      Ensuring children's safety should be a fundamental issue that no company should oppose. It is commendable that some companies are adhering to Ofcom’s guidelines and implementing robust protective measures.

      Nonetheless, there should not be a necessity for regulatory intervention to enforce safety practices. Social media companies need to take accountability and be more proactive in tackling these concerns, which they have clearly failed to address in the past.

      Rachit is an experienced technology journalist with over seven years of expertise in covering the consumer tech landscape.

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