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Social media platforms could soon face enforcement action if they fail to address the issue of underage users lying about their age. A recent survey conducted by Ofcom has revealed that 22% of eight to 17-year-olds lie about their age on social media platforms. Despite the impending implementation of the Online Safety Act (OSA) in 2025, which requires platforms to take steps to verify users’ age more thoroughly, children were still able to access harmful content when pretending to be adults. The UK’s media regulator described the findings as “alarming” and warned that social media firms would be punished if they fail to comply with the new legislation.
To ensure greater online safety, Ofcom called on social media firms to take measures to verify children’s ages more effectively. The regulator would penalize any platforms that fail to comply with the OSA, with fines of up to 10% of global revenue. According to Ian Mccrae, Director of Market Intelligence at Ofcom, the coverage of social media needs to know the age of its children online. Firms have until 2025 to introduce more stringent age verification measures.
Despite social media firms announcing greater initiatives to make the internet safer for children and youth, such as the recent launch of “teen accounts” by Instagram, teenagers still found it easy to lie about their ages on social media. A group of teenagers from Rosshall Academy, Glasgow, admitted that they used adult ages for their social media accounts. They said that lying about their age was simple, and they did not need to provide anything to proof their age. There were no challenges from the platforms when BBC News set up accounts using newly created email addresses on various social media platforms and entered over 18 age without any proof being requested.
Public concern about children being exposed to dangerous content online has led to high-profile deaths, causing the government to pass the Online Safety Act (OSA). It has demanded that social media platforms introduce more stringent age assurance measures from July 2025. There is a need for highly effective age verification, and Ofcom is testing several systems in its laboratories. While platforms such as TikTok provide statements regularly, Snapchat and Meta (owners of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) refused to provide comments, with X (formerly Twitter) not responding to BBC News’ request for collaboration
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