Ofcom publishes child-safety report as platform investigations continue
The regulator has published its first statutory report on harmful content affecting children and is investigating TikTok and Meta.
Ofcom has published its first statutory report on content harmful to children under the Online Safety Act. The regulator is also examining whether TikTok and Meta have met duties designed to reduce children’s exposure to harmful material.
The report was published on 22 October, with Ofcom describing it as the first report produced under the Act’s requirement for regular assessments of content harmful to children. The report could inform further enforcement work and recommendations.
Ofcom has an open investigation into TikTok’s compliance with duties to protect children from harmful content. The regulator said it had used formal information-gathering powers and was reviewing changes TikTok announced to its community guidelines in September.
The regulator is also investigating Meta over whether it carried out suitable and sufficient risk assessments before changes to Instagram. Ofcom’s October industry bulletin refers to the launch of Instants on Instagram and says the investigation will examine whether Meta met its legal duties.
The government told Parliament on 23 October that it believed age assurance was having a meaningful effect on children’s online experiences. That is the government’s assessment, based partly on an earlier Ofcom report; it does not settle the separate enforcement questions now under investigation.
The legal framework places duties on platforms, but enforcement depends on evidence about how services operate in practice. Ofcom has not said that either TikTok or Meta has been found in breach in these investigations. Opening an investigation is not a finding of wrongdoing.
The investigations concern whether platforms have complied with their legal duties. A civil-liberties perspective would also ask whether measures to reduce harmful exposure could compromise privacy through age checks and data collection.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Ofcom has published a statutory report on harmful content affecting children.
- Investigations into TikTok and Meta remain open.
- The government says age assurance is having a meaningful effect.
Left
Arguments Platforms should face stronger duties and penalties because voluntary promises alone may not adequately protect children online.
Values Child protection, accountability and public regulation.
Consequences Tougher enforcement could improve safety but may increase surveillance and reduce privacy if safeguards are weak.
Centre
Arguments The regulatory system should be judged by evidence, with Ofcom allowed to investigate carefully and companies required to provide transparent information.
Values Proportionality, due process and measurable outcomes.
Consequences Gradual enforcement may produce more durable rules, though critics may see it as too slow for urgent harms.
Right
Arguments Parents and families should retain a central role, while the state should avoid excessive censorship and burdensome identity checks.
Values Parental responsibility, free expression and limited government.
Consequences A lighter regime could protect privacy and innovation, but may leave children exposed if platforms do not act effectively.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Priya Shah — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The article relies primarily on Ofcom and Parliament. It avoids the unsupported claim that online safety laws have definitively failed or that either company has already breached the law.
- confirmed Ofcom published its first statutory report on harmful content affecting children on 22 October. — Ofcom’s protecting-children page records the publication. source
- confirmed Ofcom is investigating TikTok. — Ofcom investigation page, updated 22 October. source
- confirmed Ofcom is investigating Meta over Instagram risk assessments. — October Ofcom industry bulletin. source
- uncertain TikTok or Meta has breached the Online Safety Act. — Investigations remain open; the article does not state a breach. source
Editor's note
Ofcom confirms the report and investigations. The article distinguishes investigations from proven breaches and separates the government’s assessment from the regulator’s enforcement process.Sources
More on this in other media
- The Independent — „online safety”
- BBC News — „online safety”
- The Guardian — „online safety”