The UK communications regulator Ofcom has fined Kick Online Entertainment SA £800,000 for failing to put in place age checks to protect children from pornographic content. As the watchdog says, under the UK’s Online Safety Act, sites that allow pornographic material must use age assurance to prevent children from readily accessing that content.
Suzanne Cater, Director of Enforcement at Ofcom, said:“Having highly effective age checks on adult sites to protect children from pornographic content is non-negotiable. Any company that fails to meet this duty – or engage with us – can expect to face robust enforcement action, including significant fines. We continue to investigate other sites under the UK’s age check rules and will take further action where necessary.”
The watchdog adds that it’s issued provisional decisions that Youngtek Solutions, 4chan and Im.ge have failed to comply with duties under the Online Safety Act. The three now can make representations to us before Ofcom makes final decisions. The regulator adds that it has expanded the scope of investigations into four other porn companies, which run 20 adult sites.
Access despite protections
Meanwhile an online protection vendor suggests that while major social and gaming platforms offer child and teen protections, curious youths can still access content tied to fraud, drugs, and other illicit activity with little effort. A study by Malwarebytes of platforms including Roblox, YouTube, Discord, Instagram, TikTok and Twitch, found a consistent pattern: safeguards work until young people step outside them—by using the wrong account type, exploring community features, or bypassing age gates.
Mark Beare, GM of Consumer at Malwarebytes, said: “Parents are navigating a fast-moving digital world where offline consequences are quickly felt, be it spoofed accounts, deepfake content or lost funds. Safeguards exist and are encouraged, but children can still be exposed to harmful content. Parents and guardians need to stay involved: set clear boundaries, start conversations now about cybersecurity and privacy, and build good habits early. Simple steps, such as limiting personal data shared online or using pseudonyms where appropriate, will help protect kids long term.”
As for YouTube for instance, protection is opt-in: While the YouTube Kids platform was locked down in relation to content, the public site is open and hosts inappropriate material; “how-to” fraud channels; scenes of semi-nudity and sexually suggestive material; researchers even found scenes of human execution.
Full findings at: https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/family-and-parenting/2026/02/how-safe-are-kids-using-social-media-we-did-the-groundwork.
