Another study reveals that an excessive number of children are exposed to harmful content on social media.

      A year after the implementation of the UK's Online Safety Act, a new study reveals that harmful content on social media continues to reach teenagers at a rate similar to prior to the law's enactment. Research conducted by the Molly Rose Foundation, as reported by The Guardian, found that within just one week, a third of all UK teenagers and almost half of all girls encountered content related to suicide, self-harm, depression, or eating disorders.

      Study Insights

      The research surveyed 1,825 children aged 13 to 17 from 21 UK schools during April and May 2026. Key findings include:

      Over one-third of children (34%) were exposed to high-risk content in the past week, compared to 37% before the Online Safety Act came into effect in July 2025. Researchers noted that this change is not statistically significant.

      Girls were disproportionately affected, with nearly half (47%) encountering harmful content in the past week, while only 23% of boys reported similar exposure.

      Vulnerable groups faced even higher rates, with 57% of children with low wellbeing and 40% of those with special educational needs and disabilities being exposed.

      Three-quarters of the children who encountered harmful content found it on TikTok, more than three times the rate of the next most common platform, Instagram, at 23%.

      Algorithmic recommendation feeds were responsible for driving between 59% and 62% of all harmful content exposure.

      Among children who saw content promoting or encouraging suicide, one in five encountered it 10 or more times on at least one platform within a single week.

      Expected Legal Changes

      The Online Safety Act mandates that platforms take measures to prevent children from encountering content that promotes suicide, self-harm, or eating disorders. Violations can result in fines of up to £18 million or 10% of a company's global revenue.

      However, the foundation asserts that exposure to harmful content has hardly changed, attributing this oversight largely to ineffective enforcement by Ofcom. They are advocating for stronger regulations on algorithmic recommendation systems.

      Ian Russell, the father of Molly Russell, who took her life in 2017 at age 14 after viewing harmful content online, remarked that the findings were "shocking but sadly unsurprising." Next week, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is anticipated to announce whether the government will implement a social media ban for children under 16. Nonetheless, the foundation's research indicates that a blanket ban would likely be ineffective without also addressing the recommendation algorithms that continuously expose young users to harmful content.