Tech platforms may soon face stricter rules to prevent illegal content from spreading and to limit features like virtual gifting or recording a child’s livestream, under new online safety proposals from Ofcom.
The UK communications regulator launched a consultation on Monday, inviting opinions on additional measures to improve online safety, especially for children.
These proposals could also see larger tech firms being required to assess whether they should use proactive tools to detect terrorist material as part of broader efforts to tackle online harms.
Oliver Griffiths, Ofcom’s online safety group director, said the new proposals aim to build on the UK’s existing online safety rules while keeping pace with “constantly evolving” risks.
“We’re holding platforms to account and launching swift enforcement action where we have concerns,” he said. “But technology and harms are constantly evolving, and we’re always looking at how we can make life safer online.”
The consultation outlines three key areas for improvement:
- Stopping illegal content from going viral
- Tackling harmful content at its source
- Providing stronger protections for children
The BBC has contacted TikTok, Twitch, and Meta — which owns Instagram, Facebook, and Threads — for their response.
Ofcom’s proposals target a range of risks, from intimate image abuse to the dangers of people witnessing physical harm on livestreams. The specific requirements would depend on the type and size of the platform.
For example, all user-to-user platforms that allow one person to livestream to many would be required to let users report livestreams if they show a risk of imminent physical harm or illegal activity.
In contrast, only the largest platforms considered to pose higher risks to children would need to use proactive technology to detect harmful content aimed at young users.
Many platforms have already taken steps to make livestreaming safer. In 2022, TikTok raised the minimum age for going live from 16 to 18 after a BBC investigation revealed hundreds of livestreams from Syrian refugee camps where children were begging for donations. YouTube also recently announced that from July 22, users will need to be at least 16 to livestream.
However, some experts argue that Ofcom’s latest proposals do not go far enough and reveal gaps in the Online Safety Act, the UK’s major online safety legislation that Ofcom is responsible for enforcing.
“Further measures are always welcome but they will not address either the systemic weaknesses in the Online Safety Act,” said Ian Russell, chair of the Molly Rose Foundation, which was created after his daughter Molly Russell died by suicide following exposure to harmful online content.
“As long as the focus is on sticking plasters not comprehensive solutions, regulation will fail to keep up with current levels of harm and major new suicide and self-harm threats,” he added.
Russell criticised Ofcom’s approach, saying it showed a “lack of ambition” and called on the prime minister to introduce a stronger Online Safety Act.
Leanda Barrington-Leach from children’s rights group 5Rights said tech companies should “think more holistically” and build child safety into platforms from the beginning.
Meanwhile, the NSPCC’s Rani Govender welcomed Ofcom’s efforts, saying more safeguards for livestreaming “could make a real difference to protecting children in these high-risk spaces.”
The consultation will remain open until 20 October 2025, with Ofcom seeking input from tech companies, civil society groups, law enforcement, and the public.
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