UK children still suffering harm on social media despite new laws

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 24 Oct, 14:20 · Archive

Online safety measures introduced in July 2025 have failed to reduce harm to children on social media, Ofcom has found.

Ofcom's review of the first nine months after the Online Safety Act's children's safety duties came into force in July 2025 found no significant change in the proportion of children encountering harmful content. The regulator called the finding 'concerning' and said there was no evidence indicating a change in the severity of harm since the flagship regulations took effect.

Tech giants including TikTok and Instagram were required to protect children from harmful content including pornography, serious violence, suicide material, racism, misogyny and bullying. According to Ofcom, most children in the UK say they have encountered at least one piece of harmful content online in a four-week period. The report found that 14 per cent of 11 to 17-year-olds said they were exposed to suicide or self-harm content in the previous four weeks, while 23 per cent said they had seen eating disorder content.

Children have been shown graphic violent content, including footage of real-life violence, and some were affected after seeing footage of the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Weapon-related content left children feeling worried, upset or frightened, with around half of teenagers exposed to such material saying it made them feel less safe in their school or neighbourhood.

Ofcom identified personalised recommendation feeds powered by 'for you' algorithms as repeatedly at the root of the continuing tide of harmful material. Campaigners have called the lack of progress 'staggering', with Ofcom saying that further progress is needed to protect children online.

How it is being reported

• Online safety laws has so far not helped protect children in UK, Ofcom saysDuties under The Online Safety Act, a law aimed at protecting children and adults online from harmful content, came into force in July 2025.Evening Standard · 24 Oct, 13:53
• UK children just as likely to have suffered harm on social media despite crackdownCampaigners call lack of progress ‘staggering’, as Ofcom also admits little change in severity of harm to children encountering unsafe content Landmark online safety measures have failed to limit the proportion of children suffering harm from social media, the UK’s online regulator has admitted, in an assessment branded “staggering” by campaigners. The proportion of children being fed unsafe content that often left them frightened, confused and upset, was almost unchanged, according to an Ofcom review of the first nine months of supposedly strict requirements on social media platforms such…The Guardian · 23 Oct, 18:06

In this story: Ofcom · TikTok · Instagram · Charlie Kirk · Adriana Retyte · UK · Norfolk

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