Ofcom says it's 'particularly concerned' about lack of action on harmful recommender systems
TikTok and YouTube have failed to commit to making significant changes to their recommender systems to stop kids from seeing harmful content on their platforms, according to the UK’s online safety regulator, Ofcom, which expressed concern about a lack of industry action on Thursday.
The regulator made the remarks in a press release alongside the publication of evidence showing that nearly three-quarters of children aged between 11 and 17 saw harmful content online, with little change since the UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA) came into effect.
The OSA, the country’s equivalent of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), has been implemented in phases. But safety mechanisms to protect children from a range of harms, including those posed by algorithms that promote harmful content, came into force last summer.
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