{
  "id": 7581605,
  "title": "‘Underwhelmed’: Ofcom admits online safety impact falling short as full roll-out slips to 2027",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/underwhelmed-ofcom-admits-online-safety-impact-falling-short-as-full",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-15T15:00:28.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "City AM",
    "slug": "city-am",
    "url": "https://www.cityam.com/underwhelmed-ofcom-admits-online-safety-impact-falling-short-as-full-roll-out-slips-to-2027/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ofcom, Britain's online safety watchdog, has admitted that its flagship Online Safety Act has had a \"underwhelming\" impact on children's online safety despite being in force for over a year. The regulator's group director for online safety, Oliver Griffiths, told the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee that progress on major platforms used by children is lacking. The Online Safety Act, passed in 2023, is not expected to be fully operational until mid-2027, leaving the government's planned social media ban for under-16s to potentially stretch its resources. Children's Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza had previously stated that the landmark legislation has made \"absolutely no difference\" to children's online experience. Griffiths acknowledged the regulator's frustration and emphasized the need to force cultural change in technology companies that have \"acted with impunity for a long time.\" However, the watchdog's workload has been further strained by the government's planned social media ban, requiring additional staff and funding. Ofcom has secured commitments from major platforms like X, Meta, and Snap to improve content removal and grooming risks, but progress among the most heavily used platforms by children remains slow.",
  "summary": "Britain’s online safety watchdog has admitted its flagship rules have so far had an “underwhelming” impact on children’s safety, as it revealed the Online Safety Act will not be fully operational until the middle of 2027 and warned the government’s incoming social media ban could stretch its resources. Ofcom officials faced a grilling from peers [...]",
  "key_points": [],
  "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."
}