UK regulator Ofcom revealed that major social networks fail to protect children adequately after finding nine in ten 8-12 year olds use platforms with 13+ age requirements. The regulator demanded grooming protections under the Online Safety Act, prompting varied responses from tech companies facing mounting pressure to secure young users.

Snap will prevent adults from contacting unknown children and release an age assurance system this summer. Meta promises to hide teen followers on Instagram and deploy AI to detect inappropriate conversations. Roblox committed to age-appropriate game suggestions and chat controls for under-16s, though previous verification systems proved easily bypassed by children.

TikTok and YouTube declined significant changes despite claiming safe feeds for kids. Ofcom will share its findings with the UK government, which considers a social media ban for children under 16 similar to Australia's policy. Regulators increasingly hold platforms accountable for failing to protect young users from online harm.