(London) British authorities on Wednesday ordered social networks to modify their algorithms to prevent children from being exposed to harmful content and to better control the age of their users, failing which they will face fines.
The forty measures, announced Wednesday for the platforms, will lead to “important changes”, promised Melanie Dawes, the director general of the media regulator Ofcom, on the BBC.
These measures aim to ensure the safety of children and adolescents on social networks, within the framework of the “Online safety act”. This law, adopted in 2023, imposes new obligations on sites accessible to minors on the internet.
“Currently, young people are constantly exposed to harmful content on their page, […] This has to change,” summarized Melanie Dawes. Content on suicide, self-harm, pornography, hateful content, etc. are particularly targeted.
Thus, social networks that do not prohibit harmful content “will have to put in place very effective age controls to prevent children from seeing them”. In some cases, this will go so far as to prevent children from accessing the entire site or application, assures Ofcom.
Social networks will also have to ensure that algorithms “do not operate in a way that harms children” by configuring them to filter harmful content.
Algorithms are “the main route by which children are exposed to danger” on the internet, notes the regulator.
According to Ofcom, platforms failing to comply with the rules could be fined up to 18 million pounds, or up to 10% of their income.
The measures will be submitted to a consultation, in which the platforms should participate. The final code, expected at the beginning of 2025, will have to be approved by the government.
But families have already criticized the slowness of the process and the inadequacy of the measures.
“The sad thing is that Ofcom and social media are taking responsibility at a snail’s pace and the reality is that there will be more and more” victims, he told the BBC Lisa Kenevan, whose son died at 13 after taking part in an internet challenge.
“My message to the platforms is: engage with us and prepare. Don’t wait for the law to be enforced and heavy fines, act now,” said Technology Minister Michelle Donelan.