Ofcom announces New Rules to Protect Children Online

Ofcom has confirmed that social media firms could be hit with heavy fines, or even banned from the UK, under new measures to protect children from online harm.

More than 40 measures will come into effect on July 25 under the UK’s Online Safety Act.

Under the new regulations, platforms identified as the “riskiest” must introduce “highly effective” age checks to identify users under 18.

Algorithms used to recommend content must filter out harmful material, and all platforms must have procedures in place to take down dangerous content swiftly.

Children must also be provided with a “straightforward” way to report harmful or disturbing content.

Melanie Dawes, chief executive of Ofcom, described the changes as a major shift in how young people will experience the internet.

She said: “They will mean safer social media feeds with less harmful and dangerous content, protections from being contacted by strangers and effective age checks on adult content.”

The announcement came as technology secretary Peter Kyle said he was exploring the possibility of a nationwide social media curfew for children.

This follows TikTok’s recent introduction of a “wind-down” feature that encourages under-16s to log off the app after 10 pm.

Kyle said he was monitoring the tool’s effects closely: “These are things I am looking at.

“I’m not going to act on something that will have a profound impact on every single child in the country without making sure that the evidence supports it – but I am investing in [researching] the evidence.”

Kyle praised the new Ofcom rules and said they marked a critical shift in how online spaces should be regulated for young people.

He added: “Growing up in the digital age should mean children can reap the immense benefits of the online world safely, but in recent years, too many young people have been exposed to lawless, poisonous environments online which we know can lead to real and sometimes fatal consequences.

“This cannot continue.”

The new measures will force platforms to limit the likes of violent, abusive or hateful posts, as well as online bullying.

More dangerous material, including content related to suicide, self-harm, eating disorders and pornography, must be blocked from children’s feeds entirely.

But some campaigners argue that the measures do not go far enough.

Online safety campaigner Ian Russell, whose 14-year-old daughter Molly took her own life after viewing harmful content online, said the codes were “overly cautious” and put tech company profit ahead of tackling harmful content.

He said: “I am dismayed by the lack of ambition in today’s codes.

“Instead of moving fast to fix things, the painful reality is that Ofcom’s measures will fail to prevent more young deaths like my daughter Molly’s.”