UK kids campaign group CMF urges Ofcom to ‘go further’ to rein in tech platforms

The Children’s Media Foundation (CMF) in the UK has urged Ofcom to “go further” to ensure the safety of children online, following the release of the media regulator’s damning report on platforms such as YouTube and TikTok yesterday.

Greg Childs

In the report, Ofcom warned that YouTube and TikTok are “not safe enough” for children, citing concerns over their lack of action to make their feeds safer.

In response to its findings, Ofcom has vowed to continue scrutinising the social media platforms children have access to, including Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and Roblox.

It is also looking to explore the use of new inspection powers and audits and launch enforcement action in cases of non-compliance with the Online Safety Act.

Following the release of the report, the CMF released a statement saying it agrees that YouTube and TikTok could do more to make their platforms safer for kids, but urged Ofcom and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) to “go further, to regulate to ensure ‘safety by design’ on every platform children use.”

The ICO upholds information rights in the public interest, promoting openness by public bodies and data privacy for individuals.

The CMF cited recent cases in the US, where courts in California found Facebook owner Meta and YouTube to be “negligent in the design of products that addicted children to their platforms.”

Noting “deliberate disregard for known harms” by those platforms, there has been mounting pressure in the UK for social media platforms to be banned for under-16s, as has happened in Australia, which has led the UK government to launch a consultation on the matter.

The CMF’s view, however, is to force the platforms to “build better” rather than enforce a ban that children might find ways to get around.

“Tech companies must be held responsible for unsafe designs, harmful features and weak safeguards. Regulators – using existing powers – could put an end to some of the worst-case design flaws, such as algorithmic amplification, engagement-maximising notifications and addictive infinite scrolling,” the CMF said.

The foundation is also recommending that Ofcom and the ICO establish a mandatory annual audit regime for every platform or online service that reaches more than 10,000 children under 16.

“Inclusion on that register would automatically trigger an audit against a platform’s own self-declared safeguards. Persistent failure could face escalating financial consequences – up to 10% of global qualifying revenue – and all this under powers that already exist,” it said.

“We have reached a point where online harm is as much about the way services are delivered as about the content that is delivered on them. That is the new frontier for regulation.

“But using current powers in the Online Safety Act and GDPR regulations, the combined forces of the UK’s regulators – with government backing – could ensure that big tech is finally held to its own promises.”

Led by director Greg Childs, the CMF is a not-for-profit organisation that campaigns to ensure UK children have the best possible media choices, on all platforms and at all ages, and that those platforms are safe and family-friendly.