UK Regulators Demand Stronger Age Checks on Major Social Platforms

Summary

Ofcom and the ICO urged major social platforms to strengthen age checks to restrict under-13 access, citing easily bypassed self-declaration and risks of unlawful data collection. Companies must report plans by April’s end; Ofcom expects to publish responses in May.

Key points

Ofcom and the ICO called on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Roblox and other platforms to implement effective age-assurance measures.
The ICO said many platforms rely solely on users to report their age, which children can circumvent.
The ICO warned that under-13s’ information may be collected and used unlawfully when they access services not designed for them.
Ofcom expects firms to report their plans by the end of April and plans to publish their responses in May.
Ofcom also called for failsafe grooming protections, safer recommendation feeds and an end to product testing on children.

Article Details

Event Type: UK regulatory demand for social media platforms to strengthen age assurance and child-safety protections.
Impact: The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and Ofcom called on major platforms used by children to act urgently, citing reliance on easily circumvented self-declared ages. Ofcom set an end-of-April deadline for firms to report their plans and said it would publish responses in May; the ICO is considering further regulatory action. The regulators also called for grooming protections, safer recommendation feeds, and no product testing on children. The ICO warned that under-13s’ information may be collected and used unlawfully when they access services not designed for them.