{
  "id": 10954858,
  "title": "Lisa Nandy admits ‘problem’ with Ofcom enforcement of online safety rules",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/lisa-nandy-admits-problem-with-ofcom-enforcement-of-online-safety",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-30T14:02:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "City AM",
    "slug": "city-am",
    "url": "https://www.cityam.com/lisa-nandy-admits-problem-with-ofcom-enforcement-of-online-safety-rules/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has acknowledged there is \"a problem\" with Ofcom's capacity to enforce online safety regulations as she hinted at further oversight of tech companies. \"Laws are only as good as the ability to enforce them,\" Nandy stated, advocating for a more proactive role for the government in regulating the online realm. Her remarks followed the announcement that minors will be prohibited from high-risk social media platforms, including Tiktok, Snapchat, YouTube, and Instagram, starting in March. This initiative will also limit features such as infinite scrolling and algorithmic content for 16 and 17-year-olds and enforce stricter age verification measures. However, Nandy emphasized that these steps should not signify the conclusion of governmental intervention. \"We shouldn’t accept that this is the end,\" she added, emphasizing that the government should take a \"very active interventionist\" stance in policing and regulating the online space to ensure safety. The proposed ban received over 116,000 comments, with the majority of parents expressing that the risks of social media outweigh its benefits. Nandy questioned whether restricting children from social media should be seen as a permanent solution to online dangers. \"If we were in a situation where we were saying our town centres are now so unsafe that we’ve decided that every child is going to have to stay in their bedrooms, people would rightly be up in arms,\" she commented. \"How have we got to a point where we’re saying these social media sites are so harmful and dangerous that we cannot conceive of any way of protecting our children except to remove them altogether? This ends now.\" Nandy also disclosed that she had convened tech firms in her office following her assumption of responsibility for online safety and was \"not surprised, but appalled\" when representatives from X did not show up. She argued that the internet had been \"entirely outsourced to the private sector\" and that it was \"not acceptable to outsource this to Musk or anybody else.\" This situation mirrors Australia's under-16 social media ban, which is currently under challenge at the High Court, providing a preliminary test of the legal and practical implications of such restrictions. Australia's government defended the ban, citing \"credible risks\" that warrant precautionary measures, despite the lack of scientific consensus on the mental health impacts of social media. The ban has resulted in almost five million account closures since its implementation last December. Meanwhile, Reddit suspended 43,962 accounts between December and March, though reports of children retaining or accessing these accounts have raised concerns about enforcement. The UK plans to implement its restrictions based on age-assurance systems mandated by the Online Safety Act, with Ofcom overseeing the enforcement.",
  "summary": "Lisa Nandy has admitted there is “a problem” with Ofcom’s ability to enforce online safety rules as she signalled further regulation of tech firms beyond the government’s under-16 social media ban. “Laws are only as good as the ability to enforce them”, the culture secretary said, as she called for a more active role for [...]",
  "key_points": [
    "Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy acknowledges problem with Ofcom's online safety enforcement capacity.",
    "Proposed ban on high-risk social media platforms for minors to start in March.",
    "Nandy calls for proactive government intervention in regulating online space."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}