Ofcom 'favouring tech firms over child safety'

The communications watchdog has been accused of backing big tech over the safety of under-18s after the children's commissioner for England criticised new measures for tackling online harms.

- Dan Milmo

Dame Rachel de Souza said she warned Ofcom last year that its proposals for protecting children under the Online Safety Act were too weak. New codes of practice issued by the watchdog yesterday have ignored her concerns, she said.

"I made it very clear last year that its proposals were not strong enough to protect children from the multitude of harms they are exposed to online every day," she added.

"I am disappointed to see this code has not been significantly strengthened and seems to prioritise the business interests of technology companies over children's safety."

De Souza, whose government-created role promotes and protects the rights of children, said she had received the views of more than a million young people and the online world was one of their biggest concerns. The codes of practice would not allay those fears, she said. "If companies can't make online spaces safe for children, then they shouldn't be in them. Children should not be expected to police the online world themselves." Measures announced by Ofcom include:

●Requiring social media platforms to deploy "highly effective" age checks to identify under-18s.

●Ensuring algorithms filter out harmful material.

●Requiring all sites and apps to have procedures for taking down dangerous content quickly.

●Ensuring children have a "straightforward" way to report content.