Ofcom Orders Social Media Giants to Prove Child Safety Measures by April Deadline
The UK's communications regulator Ofcom has set a firm 30 April deadline for major social media platforms — including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Roblox, and YouTube — to demonstrate their strategies for preventing children under 13 from accessing their services.
The move marks one of the most significant enforcement actions under the Online Safety Act since it came into force, and signals that Ofcom is prepared to take robust action against platforms that fall short of child protection standards.
Background
The Online Safety Act, which received Royal Assent in 2023, places a legal duty on online platforms to protect children from harmful content. Ofcom has been progressively implementing the Act's requirements, and the April 2026 deadline represents a key milestone in holding the world's largest tech companies accountable to UK law.
Key Developments
Ofcom has demanded that platforms detail their plans for effective minimum-age policies, failsafe grooming protections, safer algorithmic feeds, and an end to product testing on children. The regulator has stated it will publish a report on the platforms' responses and outline next steps in May 2026.
Separately, Ofcom is expected to publish its assessment of the overall effectiveness of age assurance mechanisms used by adult site operators by the end of July 2026. A new regulatory framework for fixed data connectivity services also takes effect from April 2026, covering physical infrastructure access and fibre-based wholesale services.
The regulator is also advancing its review of spectrum regulation for space-based services, including direct-to-device satellite connectivity, as part of a broader effort to modernise the UK's digital infrastructure.
Why It Matters
The April deadline comes amid growing public concern in the UK about children's exposure to harmful content online. Ofcom has noted that it is seeing more services introduce age checks across social media, dating, gaming, and messaging platforms, but has emphasised that enforcement will follow where services fall short. Privacy advocates have raised concerns about provisions in the Online Safety Act that could require scanning of encrypted messages, though Ofcom has indicated there is currently little appetite to mandate client-side scanning for private communications.
What's Next
Ofcom's May report on platform responses will be closely watched by the tech industry and child safety campaigners alike. Platforms that fail to demonstrate adequate child protection measures could face significant fines under the Online Safety Act. Read more from Lewis Silkin.
