Ofcom Warning to Social Media Companies

Reading Time: 3.8 mins

8th May 2024

You might have encountered discussions in today’s news regarding online safety following the release of a report by Ofcom. This report outlines new measures aimed at technology companies, designed to prevent children and young people from accessing harmful content on social media. However, the group Bereaved Parents for Online Safety have responded by saying that these measures, which would not be enacted until 2025, don’t go far or fast enough to ensure the wellbeing of children and young people online.

In this article, we’ll provide an overview of the Ofcom report and offer actionable advice for safeguarding children online, starting today. There is power in education. Be prepared to have open and honest conversations and establish with the child or young person in your care who their trusted adults are.

Ofcom is the regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries. It regulates the TV and radio sectors, fixed line telecoms, mobiles, postal services, plus the airwaves over which wireless devices operate.

What is in Ofcom’s report?

Ofcom has suggested 40 measures for tech giants to implement to increase safety. These include:

effective age verification
safer algorithms
content moderation
governance and accountability
age-appropriate support and choices for children

The new proposal aims to stop children and young people from viewing distressing content online, such as materials relating to suicide planning, self-harm, eating disorders, and dangerous stunts or challenges.

Ofcom has stated that this means:

children will not normally be able to access pornography
children will be protected from seeing and being recommended harmful content
consent will be required for children to be added to group chats
reporting harmful behaviours online will be easier

How are tech companies responding?

At the time of writing, two technology giants to release statements are Meta and Snapchat, who have signposted their parental controls and extra protections for under 18s.

Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan has said that these new guidelines put the ‘meat on the bones’ of online safety, as she encourages technology companies to act now, ahead of any laws being brought into place.

What can you do?

While the headlines can be worrying, there are actions that parents, carers, and safeguarding professionals can take today. We’ve listed some of our top tips and further resources below:

Remain calm

Avoid panic. While it may be upsetting or concerning for you too, it is crucial to remain calm when having these talks. Our guide to discussing online life and list of conversation starters will be useful to prepare you for these conversations.

Start conversations early

Planting the seeds of safety from a young age is essential. Use our story book ‘The Friend Ship’ to jump-start safety talks. If you have access to the Safer Schools App, ‘The Friend Ship’ is freely available now.

Open and non-judgemental conversations are key

Be a role model by leading conversations with kindness and respect. While the children and young people in your care may not have seen anything distressing online, asking open questions around what they see and interact with can remind and reassure them that you are there to support them if they have.

Discuss oversharing online

To avoid a situation where the child or young person in your care loses control of what they share online, have a discussion about what is appropriate to share and how to limit who can access their information. For top tips on identifying and avoiding risks, take a look at our Social Media 101 shareable.

Communicate the dangers of online challenges

Trending online challenges place pressure on children and young people to engage with thrill-seeking and dangerous behaviours, both online and in the playground. Some of these challenges come with serious risks to health and wellbeing. Check out our resource and video on What You Need to Know about Harmful TikTok Challenges for more information.

Review and activate parental controls, safety and privacy settings

Together, explore our Online Safety Centre for practical guides on parental controls, privacy, and safety settings. Find step-by-step instructions on blocking, muting and reporting across popular online platforms, whenever you need them.

Remind children to talk to a trusted adult

Ensure that children and young people in your care know who they can talk to if they come across something that upsets or distresses them online. Watch our Who Are Your Trusted Adults video (also available for as primary and Makaton editions) together to spark conversation.