Children and youth

UK: Ofcom Says TikTok, YouTube Fail to Protect Kids Online

Is the Online Safety Act a necessary shield for children online or unenforceable overreach threatening free speech?

Published 5 days ago

UK: Ofcom Says TikTok, YouTube Fail to Protect Kids Online

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Above: A boy holds an iPhone screen displaying the TikTok logo in Bath on March 29. Image credit: Anna Barclay/Getty Images

The Spin

Narrative A

TikTok and YouTube are failing kids — nearly three-quarters of 11- to 17-year-olds still encounter harmful content, and neither platform committed to meaningful feed changes. Platforms with a 13+ minimum age aren't enforcing it, with 84% of 8- to 12-year-olds still accessing the most popular services. Stronger legislation and real enforcement are the only way to force these companies to actually protect children.

Information Commissioner's Office Ofcom

Narrative B

The Online Safety Act is unenforceable overreach that tramples First Amendment rights by demanding U.S. companies comply with British bureaucrats who have zero legal jurisdiction over them. American courts won't honor foreign censorship demands, and every major U.S. platform has refused to comply. This poorly drafted law was never really about protecting kids — it's a blank check for censorship dressed up in the language of child-safety.

The Free Speech Union on X Spiked