Social media in the spotlight. Social media sites will have to reformulate their algorithms so harmful content is not recommended to children, the UK media regulator says.
Ofcom says failure to comply with its draft Children’s Safety Codes of Practice could see sites banned for those under the age of 18.
But the proposals have been criticised as “insufficient” by the parents of teenagers Molly Russell and Brianna Ghey, whose deaths involved exposure to harmful online material.
In a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak they say they have been “disappointed” by Ofcom’s “lack of ambition”.
Most of the tech companies contacted by the BBC have declined to respond to the draft measures.
It is Ofcom’s job to enforce toughrer rules following the introduction of the Online Safety Act – these codes set out what tech firms must do to comply with that law.
The boss of Ofcom, Dame Melanie Dawes, gave more details of what the body calls a “step change” in regulation in a BBC interview, also involving Mr Russell and Ms Ghey, who now campaign on online safety.
In future, Dame Melanie said any companies that broke the codes would be “named and shamed”, and she raised the prospect of “firmer measures” – including raising the minimum age for social media apps to 18.
Ofcom says there are more than 40 “practical measures” in its codes.
The centrepiece is the requirement around algorithms, which are used to decide what is shown in people’s social media feeds.
Ofcom says tech firms will need to configure their algorithms to filter out the most harmful content from children’s feeds, and reduce the visibility and prominence of other harmful content.
Other proposed measures include forcing companies to perform more rigorous age checks if they show harmful content, and making them implement stronger content moderation, including a so-called “safe search” function on search engines.
Social media in the spotlight.
