"Definitely some of the worst content I have ever seen.”
Safeguarding Minister Satvir Kaur was left horrified after viewing evidence of harmful content across social and gaming platforms used by children.
She said she was left in tears after watching Sky News‘ The Com documentary and raised concerns about technology companies failing to do enough to protect young users, despite previous efforts to remove harmful material identified by the investigation.
Kaur said: “Oh my god, I didn’t sleep last night because my job is literally dealing with your worst nightmares. But that is beyond your worst nightmares.”
The documentary examined The Com, a dangerous online network associated with harmful content and activities targeting children.
The investigation exposed material across social media and gaming platforms used by young people, prompting the removal of content flagged by the broadcaster.
However, a follow-up investigation found that harmful material remained accessible, raising further questions about the effectiveness of platforms’ safeguarding measures.
Kaur described the material she had watched as “harrowing”, adding:
“I actually cried. Definitely some of the worst content I have ever seen.”
The investigation previously identified self-harm-themed avatars available to purchase on Roblox, a gaming platform popular with children.
During a subsequent review, Sky News found that some of the material remained available despite the earlier findings.
The investigation reported that on popular game Roblox, self-harm avatars are available for five-year-olds to buy.
A month after the investigation, the avatar remains available for purchase.
Sky News reported that harmful material continued to appear on TikTok when using an account configured for a 13-year-old, while publicly operating groups associated with The Com remained accessible on Discord and Telegram.
Asked whether the findings demonstrated that technology companies were failing to scrutinise their platforms adequately, Kaur responded: “Absolutely, they’re not.
“I think the tech company can absolutely give lip service to this, but action speaks louder than words. And where that is not happening and where they’re not going far enough, government has said, “We will act’.”
Kaur was also asked whether she would support calls for a third evidentiary session examining the Online Safety Act, which could consider whether further changes were necessary to strengthen protections for children.
“I will back anything that keeps children safe, absolutely. But I think what’s more important is that Ofcom actually use the powers that they’ve got.”
The minister did not explicitly back changes to the Online Safety Act. Instead, she pointed to the need for further measures to protect children online.
These include previously announced proposals for controls on devices intended to prevent children from sending nude images.
Satvir Kaur’s comments come amid continued scrutiny of how effectively the Online Safety Act is being enforced and whether existing safeguards are sufficient to address the threats children face across digital platforms.
Ofcom told Sky News that it had launched investigations into more than 100 websites and apps, with fines totalling more than £7 million so far.
The regulator also stressed that technology companies needed to go further and act faster to tackle harmful content.
The platforms featured in the investigation said they were taking steps to address the problem.
Roblox said groups associated with The Com had no place on its platform and that dedicated teams were proactively working to remove harmful content.
TikTok said such material had no place on its platform and that it continued to strengthen its systems.
Telegram said it explicitly prohibited activity associated with The Com and had consistently removed groups, while Discord said it had been aggressively disrupting related networks and had removed thousands of servers.
All the platforms said they had removed content flagged by Sky News and were working with other agencies to combat material associated with The Com.
Despite these assurances, the investigation’s findings have renewed questions about whether voluntary action by technology companies is enough to protect children from harmful online networks.
