UK Regulators Demand Social Media Age Checks

Britain’s media and privacy regulators, Ofcom and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), have demanded that major social media platforms strengthen age verification measures to keep children off their services. The regulators warned that companies are failing to enforce minimum age rules effectively.

The targeted platforms—Facebook, Instagram, Roblox, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, and X—must show by April 30 how they will tighten age checks, restrict strangers from contacting children, make feeds safer, and stop testing new products on minors. Ofcom’s chief executive Melanie Dawes stated that these online services are failing to prioritize children's safety and emphasized the need for quick changes or face regulatory action.

The ICO issued an open letter calling on platforms to adopt modern age-assurance tools like facial age estimation, digital ID, or one-time photo matching to prevent under-13s from accessing services not designed for them. Ofcom can fine companies up to 10% of their qualifying global revenue, while the ICO can issue fines of up to 4% of a company's global annual turnover. The privacy watchdog recently fined Reddit nearly £14.5 million for failing to introduce meaningful age checks and processing children's data unlawfully.

Platforms have responded with varying degrees of commitment. YouTube expressed surprise at Ofcom’s approach, urging focus on higher-risk services. Meta claimed it already has many suggested safeguards in place, including AI-based age detection and facial recognition technology. Snapchat is testing age verification tools, while TikTok claims to remove over 90 million suspected under-13 accounts annually.

According to timeslive.co.za, Britain has been considering tougher curbs on children’s access to social media, with the government contemplating barring under-16s from such platforms, mirroring a move by Australia. Ofcom and the ICO expressed growing concern about algorithmic feeds that expose children to harmful or addictive content.

Meta complied with Australia's social media ban, blocking over 500,000 accounts believed to belong to under-16s from Instagram, Facebook, and Threads in the initial days. However, it called on the Australian government to reconsider, saying a blanket ban would drive teens to circumvent the law and access social media sites without necessary safeguards.

Instagram stated it would alert parents when their teens repeatedly search for terms like suicide and self-harm over a short period of time. A landmark trial against Meta and Alphabet began in January, focusing on allegations that Instagram and YouTube have design features contributing to addiction. The outcome is expected in mid-March.

The European Commission opened an investigation in January into Elon Musk's X over the spreading of sexually explicit material of children by its AI chatbot Grok. Additionally, the ICO issued a £14 million fine against Reddit for unlawfully processing children's personal data in February.