Protect Children Online or Face Being Blocked, Social Media Giants Told

Regulator Ofcom publishes its first draft codes of practice under the Online Safety Act which focuses on protecting children from harmful content and groomers.

The logos of mobile apps Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, Google and Messenger are displayed on a tablet on Oct. 1, 2019. Denis Charlet/AFP via Getty Images

A social media shake-up under the new Online Safety Act will compel platforms to block suicide and terror sites to children—and remove “suggested friends” to protect them from groomers.

Sites that don’t comply to the strict new rules face being fined or blocked completely by Ofcom, with senior social media managers liable to criminal proceedings, the regulator said.