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

      Big tech has finally recognized the importance of child safety, and Ofcom is continuing its efforts to advocate for it.

      If your children use Snapchat, Instagram, or Roblox, significant changes are on the horizon. The UK regulator, Ofcom, has secured new commitments from these platforms to enhance protections for children against online strangers and potential groomers.

      Snap is taking the most substantial steps by agreeing to implement all of Ofcom's suggestions for grooming prevention. By default, adult strangers will no longer be allowed to contact children, and kids will not be encouraged to add unknown users to their friend lists. The platform also plans to introduce age verification for all UK users this summer, ensuring that users under 18 benefit from these safeguards.

      Roblox is going even further, allowing parents to disable direct chat entirely for users under 16. Meta is working on a feature to hide the friend lists of teenagers on Instagram and intends to utilize AI tools to identify suspicious conversations between adults and minors.

      However, TikTok and YouTube have not committed to making significant changes to improve the safety of their content feeds for children. Ofcom’s research indicated that almost 75% of 11 to 17-year-olds encountered harmful content within a four-week period, with over a third finding it while browsing their feeds. TikTok and YouTube were among the top platforms where this occurred. Both companies maintain that their feeds are already safe, a claim Ofcom disputes.

      Why are 8-year-olds still using TikTok and Instagram? Research indicates that 84% of children aged 8 to 12 continue to engage with at least one platform. The ease of circumventing current age-verification processes plays a significant role in this.

      Ofcom has reached out to the Secretary of State, suggesting that stronger legislation may be necessary to empower regulators to enforce age restrictions effectively. In the meantime, Ofcom has established a five-point action plan to monitor these commitments and advocate for further changes, including possible enforcement actions against non-compliant platforms.

      Ensuring children's safety is an issue that should be straightforward and one that no company should oppose. It's encouraging that some organizations are adhering to Ofcom's guidelines and implementing stringent protective measures.

      However, there should be no necessity for a regulatory body to compel safety practices. Social media companies must take responsibility and address these issues proactively, something they have historically failed to do.

      Rachit is a seasoned tech journalist with over seven years of experience in the consumer technology field.

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