Report evidence summary
Concerns raised 7 Lack of separation between adult and child platform areas View source Use of algorithms to provide content together with adverts View source Lack of parental, guardian or carer access to material viewed by a child View source Lack of age verification at online platform sign-up View source Lack of parental, guardian or carer control over material viewed by a child View source Failure to control online content so that it is age specific View source Failure to separately link a child's account to a parent, guardian or carer's account for monitoring View source See 4 more concerns
Stated actions An action is something a recipient says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to a concern raised. 55
Twitter International Unlimited Company Require sensitive-content labels and display interstitial warnings before users view sensitive media.
View source
Twitter International Unlimited Company Provide controls to restrict replies, protect accounts, filter notifications, and block or mute accounts, words, conversations and hashtags.
View source
Twitter International Unlimited Company Introduce Safety Mode to temporarily block accounts using potentially harmful language or sending repetitive, uninvited replies or mentions.
View source
Twitter International Unlimited Company Apply age-based protections that restrict sensitive content and certain advertising for users under 18 or without a registered birth date.
View source
Twitter International Unlimited Company Continue investing in scaled identification of violating content and publish regular enforcement data for transparency.
View source
Twitter International Unlimited Company Provide UK suicide and self-harm search prompts linking users to Samaritans support.
View source
Twitter International Unlimited Company Enforce a minimum age of 13 through date-of-birth screening, account restrictions, appeals and human review.
View source
Twitter International Unlimited Company Automatically enable Safe Search for users identified as under 18 and filter potentially sensitive content from their search results.
View source
Twitter International Unlimited Company Develop and provide parents with a step-by-step guide for managing children’s accounts, contacts, visibility and personal-data sharing.
View source
Twitter International Unlimited Company Research and actively examine additional privacy-preserving age-assurance measures suitable for global implementation.
View source
Twitter International Unlimited Company Restrict promotion of suicide or self-harm, remove violating content, suspend noncompliant accounts, and mark instructional links as unsafe.
View source
Snap Inc. Refresh and expand the Global Safety Advisory Board with safety experts, including UK members.
View source
Snap Inc. Continue working with governments, regulators and industry partners to identify proportionate, scalable long-term age-assurance solutions.
View source
Snap Inc. Pre-moderate public content on Discover and Spotlight before it reaches a large audience.
View source
Snap Inc. Introduce Family Centre to let parents and trusted adults view teens’ friends and recent contacts while preserving message privacy.
View source
Snap Inc. Add suicide and self-harm as a standalone category in the biannual Transparency Report.
View source
Snap Inc. Add content controls and teen-to-parent reporting notifications to Family Centre.
View source
Snap Inc. Launch UK mental-health support resources, including Here For You and the Safety Snapshot channel.
View source
Snap Inc. Provide additional protections for under-18 users, including mutual-friend communication, private friend lists and restricted discoverability.
View source
Pinterest Europe Ltd. Develop and test automated signals to limit depressive-content distribution to teen users.
View source
Pinterest Europe Ltd. Review partner organisations and expand partnerships for advice on self-harm policy and enforcement.
View source
Pinterest Europe Ltd. Continue working with experts, legislators, and industry participants to address age-assurance challenges.
View source
Pinterest Europe Ltd. Partner with a third-party content-checking service to independently test moderation progress on self-harm and suicide content.
View source
Pinterest Europe Ltd. Consult mental-health experts about resources for users searching for self-harm or suicide-related content.
View source
Pinterest Europe Ltd. Prevent notifications containing depressive content from being sent to users.
View source
Pinterest Europe Ltd. Prevent depressive-quote searches from being recommended through autocomplete or “ideas you may love.”
View source
Pinterest Europe Ltd. Expand self-harm policy enforcement to remove references to self-harm or suicide in artwork, memes, and jokes.
View source
Meta Platforms Ireland Limited Introduce alternate-topic nudges for teenagers who dwell on the same type of Explore content.
View source
Meta Platforms Ireland Limited Develop and operate Take a Break reminders and notifications encouraging teenagers to reduce or pause Instagram use.
View source
Meta Platforms Ireland Limited Continue evolving the Best Interests of the Child Framework through expert consultation, user research, and co-design.
View source
Meta Platforms Ireland Limited Implement technology to limit suspicious adults’ ability to contact, follow, interact with, or view teenagers’ content.
View source
Meta Platforms Ireland Limited Explore expanding age-verification tools to additional use cases.
View source
Meta Platforms Ireland Limited Introduce safety tools for blocking related accounts, prompting reflection before sensitive comment replies, and encouraging respectful direct messages.
View source
Meta Platforms Ireland Limited Introduce notifications directing teenagers to use reporting tools after blocking an account.
View source
Meta Platforms Ireland Limited Implement Recommendation Guidelines to avoid recommending sensitive or inappropriate content to younger users.
View source
Meta Platforms Ireland Limited Test new online age-verification methods and work with relevant stakeholders to develop equitable age-assurance solutions.
View source
Meta Platforms Ireland Limited Test additional tools to reduce distractions and help teenagers take time away from Instagram.
View source
Meta Platforms Ireland Limited Expand age-gating to restrict teenagers’ access to additional categories of content.
View source
Meta Platforms Ireland Limited Improve age-estimation technology and deploy it in additional use cases to tailor teenagers’ experiences and restrict suspicious adult interactions.
View source
Meta Platforms Ireland Limited Introduce Sensitive Content Control with more restrictive default settings and limited options for teenagers.
View source
Meta Platforms Ireland Limited Develop and use the Best Interests of the Child Framework during app and feature development.
View source
Meta Platforms Ireland Limited Continue updating Instagram Parents’ Guide and other parental education resources in line with expert guidance.
View source
Meta Platforms Ireland Limited Launch and expand Family Centre parental supervision tools, including account, connection, privacy, time-limit, and scheduled-break controls.
View source
Meta Platforms Ireland Limited Continue engaging with experts, regulators, legislators, and affected people while developing policies, tools, technology, and online-safety measures.
View source
Meta Platforms Ireland Limited Test removing the message button on teenagers’ accounts when viewed by suspicious adults.
View source
Meta Platforms Ireland Limited Require additional age verification using video selfies or identification documents when users change their stated age from under 18 to over 18.
View source
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Draft a new offence covering communications that promote self-harm.
View source
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Bring the Online Safety Bill into force to provide the strongest possible protections for children online.
View source
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Name the Children’s Commissioner as a statutory consultee for Ofcom’s development of online-safety codes of practice.
View source
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Introduce the Online Safety Bill to Parliament to establish protections for children online.
View source
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Review how advertising regulation should be modernised and assess harms caused by paid-for online advertising across the supply chain.
View source
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Publish the government’s response to the Online Advertising Programme consultation.
View source
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Introduce separate legislation covering physical assistance to self-harm when Parliamentary time allows.
View source
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Amend the Online Safety Bill to strengthen protections for children, including age-restriction transparency and platform risk-assessment summaries.
View source
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Publish guidance and a GOV.UK resource hub supporting providers to take voluntary action to improve child online safety.
View source Respondent positions A position is what a recipient says about a concern when it does not describe a specific action. 10
Twitter International Unlimited Company Removing posts describing personal self-harm experiences is considered potentially harmful because it may stigmatise users and remove opportunities for intervention and support.
Disputes the concernThe respondent disagreed with part of the concern or the basis for it. View source
Twitter International Unlimited Company A separate platform for teenagers is not adopted because its benefits are unclear and existing age-appropriate design and safety features are relied upon instead.
Existing arrangements considered sufficientThe respondent said that existing arrangements were sufficient, so no further action was needed. View source
Snap Inc. Snap considers its moderated and curated public content architecture sufficient to limit algorithmic amplification risks.
Existing arrangements considered sufficientThe respondent said that existing arrangements were sufficient, so no further action was needed. View source
Snap Inc. Comprehensive age verification should be developed through app stores, operating systems, mobile operators and hardware providers rather than solely by platforms.
Redirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action. View source
Snap Inc. Snap disputes that there is no age verification, stating users provide dates of birth and under-13 registrations fail.
Disputes the concernThe respondent disagreed with part of the concern or the basis for it. View source
Pinterest Europe Ltd. Separate platforms or age-specific content may not improve teen safety and could dilute moderation efforts or divert resources.
Disputes the concernThe respondent disagreed with part of the concern or the basis for it. View source
Pinterest Europe Ltd. Effective age assurance remains constrained by evolving technology, circumvention risks and potential privacy burdens.
Unable to actThe respondent said that a constraint prevented them from taking the relevant action. View source
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Online service providers are responsible for implementing safety measures, including age assurance, content controls and algorithmic risk mitigation.
Redirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action. View source
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Parliament is responsible for the Online Safety Bill’s final form and approval.
Redirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action. View source
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Ofcom is responsible for setting detailed compliance measures and enforcing providers’ online safety duties.
Redirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action. View source
× Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. Response links show a clear evidence connection; they do not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Lack of separation between adult and child platform areas
Wider context from the report “1. There was no separation between adult and child parts of the platforms or separate platforms for children and adults .
” Is this part of a recurring concern? No recurring-concern membership is currently published.
Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. Response links show a clear evidence connection; they do not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Use of algorithms to provide content together with adverts
Wider context from the report “4. That algorithms were used to provide content together with adverts .
” Is this part of a recurring concern? No recurring-concern membership is currently published.
Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. Response links show a clear evidence connection; they do not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Lack of parental, guardian or carer access to material viewed by a child
Wider context from the report “5. That the parent, guardian or carer did not have access , to the material being viewed or any control over that material.
” Is this part of a recurring concern? No recurring-concern membership is currently published.
Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. Response links show a clear evidence connection; they do not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Lack of age verification at online platform sign-up
Wider context from the report “2. There was no age verification when signing up to the on-line platform .
” Is this part of a recurring concern? No recurring-concern membership is currently published.
Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. Response links show a clear evidence connection; they do not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Lack of parental, guardian or carer control over material viewed by a child
Wider context from the report “5. That the parent, guardian or carer did not have access, to the material being viewed or any control over that material .
” Is this part of a recurring concern? No recurring-concern membership is currently published.
Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. Response links show a clear evidence connection; they do not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Failure to control online content so that it is age specific
Wider context from the report “3. That the content was not controlled so as to be age specific .
” Is this part of a recurring concern? No recurring-concern membership is currently published.
Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. Response links show a clear evidence connection; they do not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Failure to separately link a child's account to a parent, guardian or carer's account for monitoring
Wider context from the report “6. That the child's account was not capable of being separately linked to the parent, guardian or carer's account for monitoring .
” Is this part of a recurring concern? No recurring-concern membership is currently published.
Open source report
×
Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Require sensitive-content labels and display interstitial warnings before users view sensitive media.
Verbatim wording from the response “4.3.3. Sensitive Tweet Warnings – Twitter’s sensitive media policy prohibits users from including graphic content or adult nudity and sexual behaviour within areas that are highly visible on Twitter, including in live video, profile, header, List banner images, or Community cover photos. If a user shares this content on Twitter, the policy requires the user to mark their entire account as sensitive or to add sensitive content warnings to individual photos or videos. Doing so places an interstitial warning message on images or videos they post which contain sensitive media. Twitter may also place an interstitial warning message on some forms of sensitive media.” Source location Response from Twitter International Unlimited Company
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Provide controls to restrict replies, protect accounts, filter notifications, and block or mute accounts, words, conversations and hashtags.
Verbatim wording from the response “4.3.4. Controlling replies – users can choose who will be able to reply to their Tweets when posted. The default position is that everyone can reply but options are available to turn off all replies or only allow the accounts mentioned in the Tweet to reply. A user can also change who can reply to their Tweets, or turn off replies, after the Tweet has been posted.” Source location Response from Twitter International Unlimited Company
Open published response
×
Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Introduce Safety Mode to temporarily block accounts using potentially harmful language or sending repetitive, uninvited replies or mentions.
Verbatim wording from the response “7.3. As explained above, users can curate the types of content they see to match their interests and hide Tweets that contain sensitive content. In addition, Twitter introduced 'Safety Mode' in September 2021¹³, which allows users to temporarily block accounts for using potentially harmful language or sending repetitive and uninvited replies or mentions.” Source location Response from Twitter International Unlimited Company
Open published response
×
Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Apply age-based protections that restrict sensitive content and certain advertising for users under 18 or without a registered birth date.
Verbatim wording from the response “4.3.1. Age restricted content – Twitter automatically restricts users who are under 18, or who do not include a birth date on their profile, from viewing sensitive media content (as set out in our sensitive media policy)¹. In addition, a different approach to advertising is taken for users who are either under 18 or who do not include a birth date on their profile. Twitter prohibits marketing or advertising of a number of products and services to minors, including alcohol, weapons, weight loss products, health supplements, gambling products, sexual products and services, permanent cosmetics and other forms of body branding². These age restrictions are in addition to complete bans on advertising certain products on Twitter,” Source location Response from Twitter International Unlimited Company
Open published response
×
Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Continue investing in scaled identification of violating content and publish regular enforcement data for transparency.
Verbatim wording from the response “6.6. During the last reporting period, there was a substantial increase in the volume of accounts suspended (18% increase), and content removed (23% increase) under Twitter's 'Promoting suicide or self-harm' policy. 408,143 accounts were actioned in total. We attribute this increase to our continued investment in identifying violative content at scale. As a business we are determined to continue improving in this area. To improve transparency, we regularly publish data around Twitter's enforcement of its policies¹¹.” Source location Response from Twitter International Unlimited Company
Open published response
×
Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Provide UK suicide and self-harm search prompts linking users to Samaritans support.
Verbatim wording from the response “6.5. Twitter has also launched a new product called '#ThereIsHelp' in the UK¹⁰. This means a prompt with a link to the Samaritans charity will appear when a user searches for words related to suicide or self-harm. On the mobile app, the mode in which the majority of users access Twitter, the prompt takes up almost half the screen.” Source location Response from Twitter International Unlimited Company
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Enforce a minimum age of 13 through date-of-birth screening, account restrictions, appeals and human review.
Verbatim wording from the response “5.1. Twitter is committed to protecting child safety online and has launched a range of age assurance measures to seek to ensure that only users aged 13 and over are permitted to access the Twitter platform.” Source location Response from Twitter International Unlimited Company
Open published response
×
Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Automatically enable Safe Search for users identified as under 18 and filter potentially sensitive content from their search results.
Verbatim wording from the response “4.3.2. Safe Search – users of the Twitter platform have control over what they can see in search results through selecting the Safe Search mode. Safe Search is automatically enabled for anyone with a birth date under 18 years of age. Once enabled, these filters are designed to exclude from search results any potentially sensitive content (such as content which is excessively gory, violent, or of a graphic sexual nature)³ along with accounts a user has muted or blocked (for whatever reason).” Source location Response from Twitter International Unlimited Company
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Develop and provide parents with a step-by-step guide for managing children’s accounts, contacts, visibility and personal-data sharing.
Verbatim wording from the response “7.1. As previously stated, users under 18 make up a very small minority of all Twitter users in the UK. Notwithstanding this, our Trust and Safety Team is dedicated to advocating for the safety of its users and protecting their rights, and therefore engages with experts to ensure Twitter offers the most appropriate solutions to parents with children using Twitter. In collaboration with Internet Matters (an organisation launched with the specific intention of supporting parents and carers to navigate the digital landscape), Twitter has developed a parental controls guide, which provides step-by-step instructions for parents to manage their child's account¹².” Source location Response from Twitter International Unlimited Company
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Research and actively examine additional privacy-preserving age-assurance measures suitable for global implementation.
Verbatim wording from the response “5.8. In addition to the measures above, Twitter has been working with experts to research further age assurance measures that incorporate ‘privacy by design’ principles (required by the GDPR) and work in a global context. These measures also need to account for the importance of online anonymity for minorities and disadvantaged communities around the world and the use of Twitter as a platform for whistle-blowers and human rights advocates.” Source location Response from Twitter International Unlimited Company
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Restrict promotion of suicide or self-harm, remove violating content, suspend noncompliant accounts, and mark instructional links as unsafe.
Verbatim wording from the response “6.3. Twitter's Suicide and Self Harm policy prohibits users from promoting or encouraging suicide or self-harm⁸. If this policy is violated (e.g. the user shares content which intentionally encourages others to harm themselves, asks others to encourage the user to harm themselves or shares detailed information or instructions relating to self-harm or suicide), Twitter actions the content so it is no longer visible publicly and requires the user to remove the content. The user will be unable to Tweet again or interact in any way on the platform until they do so. If a user continues to violate Twitter's Suicide and Self Harm policy, or if an account appears dedicated to promoting or encouraging self-harm or suicide, the account will be permanently suspended.” Source location Response from Twitter International Unlimited Company
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Refresh and expand the Global Safety Advisory Board with safety experts, including UK members.
Verbatim wording from the response “• Our recently refreshed and expanded Global Safety Advisory Board - led by Head of Global Platform Safety Jacqueline Beauchere MBE, this group brings together leading safety experts, including three UK members (of an 18-strong global board), to educate, challenge, raise issues and advise Snap on how to keep the Snapchat community safe.” Source location Response from Snap
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Continue working with governments, regulators and industry partners to identify proportionate, scalable long-term age-assurance solutions.
Verbatim wording from the response “We are committed to continuing our work with government, regulators and industry partners to identify genuinely robust, scalable and proportionate industry-wide, long-term age-assuring” Source location Response from Snap
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Pre-moderate public content on Discover and Spotlight before it reaches a large audience.
Verbatim wording from the response “Our Discover section, which is the part of the app showing news and entertainment, features media publishers and individual creators. This content is not interspersed with posts from friends. Meanwhile, our Spotlight tab shows the most entertaining photos and videos from within the Snapchat community. Content on Discover and Spotlight is moderated prior to reaching a large audience.” Source location Response from Snap
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Introduce Family Centre to let parents and trusted adults view teens’ friends and recent contacts while preserving message privacy.
Verbatim wording from the response “This summer, we introduced a new in-app tool called Family Centre, which offers parents, carers and other trusted adults insight into who their teens are Friends with and which Friends they recently sent Snaps and Chats to on Snapchat, without revealing the contents of the teens’ messages. With this approach, Snap has sought to balance parents’ needs for more information with teens’ needs for privacy, autonomy and growing independence. Through these tools and resources, we aim to start meaningful conversations amongst parents, carers and teens about online risks, how to stay safe and how to find support if they need it.” Source location Response from Snap
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Add suicide and self-harm as a standalone category in the biannual Transparency Report.
Verbatim wording from the response “Whilst we have always prohibited the promotion, glorification and encouragement of self-harm and suicidal content, to provide additional insight and transparency into our moderation efforts, earlier this year we added a dedicated content category for suicide and self-harm to our bi-annual Transparency Report³. This public report summarises, at both global and country-specific levels, the content and accounts Snap Inc. enforced against on Snapchat across a range of categories including harassment and bullying, hate speech and sexually explicit content. We also include the total number of times our Trust and Safety team has shared self-harm prevention and support resources with users in distress.” Source location Response from Snap
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Add content controls and teen-to-parent reporting notifications to Family Centre.
Verbatim wording from the response “In the coming months, we will add additional features to Family Centre, including new content controls for parents and the ability for teens to notify their parents when they report an account or a piece of content to us. This is in recognition of the fact that, whilst we closely moderate and” Source location Response from Snap
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Launch UK mental-health support resources, including Here For You and the Safety Snapshot channel.
Verbatim wording from the response “The resources we share are publicly available to all Snapchatters and published online⁴. For example, in March 2020, we expedited the launch of ‘Here For You’ in the UK - a dedicated portal within Snapchat, created in partnership with The Samaritans and The Diana Award, which shares resources when Snapchatters search for certain themes related to mental health, anxiety, depression, stress, suicidal thoughts, grief and bullying. We also launched “Safety Snapshot” last year, a dedicated channel available in the Discover section of our app that aims to provide easily digestible tips for users on staying safe and reporting content. This can be accessed by searching “Safety Snapshot” in the Discover tab.” Source location Response from Snap
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Provide additional protections for under-18 users, including mutual-friend communication, private friend lists and restricted discoverability.
Verbatim wording from the response “• Extra protections for under 18s:
◦ By default, teens have to be mutual friends on Snapchat before they can start communicating with each other.
◦ Friend lists are private, and we don’t allow users under the age of 18 to have public profiles.
◦ And we have protections in place to make it harder for strangers to find teens. For example, teens only show up as a "suggested friend" or in search results in limited instances, like if they have three mutual friends in common.” Source location Response from Snap
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Develop and test automated signals to limit depressive-content distribution to teen users.
Verbatim wording from the response “1. To develop ways to further limit the distribution of depressive content on Pinterest to teens. Molly’s case has reinforced that depressive content merits careful treatment. We will develop and test automated signals to understand how best to limit the distribution of depressive content to teens on Pinterest - for example - not showing “more like this” prompts if a teen views a Pin that may be depressive. In addition, we will work to continue ensuring that we do not send notifications containing depressive content to Pinterest users (who we call “Pinners”) and ensure that we do not recommend searches for depressive quotes as autocompletes or “ideas you may love” to any Pinners either.” Source location Response from Pinterest
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Review partner organisations and expand partnerships for advice on self-harm policy and enforcement.
Verbatim wording from the response “Although we have maintained robust efforts in these areas, we know we can always improve. As an additional commitment, we are taking a comprehensive review of the groups we partner with to get additional advice and feedback on our policy and enforcement approaches to self-harm with the plan to expand our partnerships in this area. In conjunction with this expanded outreach, we plan to partner with a third party content checking service with the aim of providing independent testing of our progress in moderation efforts with respect to self-harm and suicide content on Pinterest.” Source location Response from Pinterest
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Continue working with experts, legislators, and industry participants to address age-assurance challenges.
Verbatim wording from the response “5. To continue to work through the challenges of age assurance with experts, legislators, and the rest of the market.” Source location Response from Pinterest
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Partner with a third-party content-checking service to independently test moderation progress on self-harm and suicide content.
Verbatim wording from the response “3. To partner with a third party content checking service with the aim of providing independent testing of our progress in our moderation efforts with respect to self-harm and suicide content on Pinterest.” Source location Response from Pinterest
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Consult mental-health experts about resources for users searching for self-harm or suicide-related content.
Verbatim wording from the response “4. To consult with mental health experts to ensure that we are delivering the best possible resources to Pinners who search for self-harm or suicide related content.” Source location Response from Pinterest
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Prevent notifications containing depressive content from being sent to users.
Verbatim wording from the response “1. To develop ways to further limit the distribution of depressive content on Pinterest to teens. Molly’s case has reinforced that depressive content merits careful treatment. We will develop and test automated signals to understand how best to limit the distribution of depressive content to teens on Pinterest - for example - not showing “more like this” prompts if a teen views a Pin that may be depressive. In addition, we will work to continue ensuring that we do not send notifications containing depressive content to Pinterest users (who we call “Pinners”) and ensure that we do not recommend searches for depressive quotes as autocompletes or “ideas you may love” to any Pinners either.” Source location Response from Pinterest
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Prevent depressive-quote searches from being recommended through autocomplete or “ideas you may love.”
Verbatim wording from the response “1. To develop ways to further limit the distribution of depressive content on Pinterest to teens. Molly’s case has reinforced that depressive content merits careful treatment. We will develop and test automated signals to understand how best to limit the distribution of depressive content to teens on Pinterest - for example - not showing “more like this” prompts if a teen views a Pin that may be depressive. In addition, we will work to continue ensuring that we do not send notifications containing depressive content to Pinterest users (who we call “Pinners”) and ensure that we do not recommend searches for depressive quotes as autocompletes or “ideas you may love” to any Pinners either.” Source location Response from Pinterest
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Expand self-harm policy enforcement to remove references to self-harm or suicide in artwork, memes, and jokes.
Verbatim wording from the response “2. To update our self-harm policy to ensure stricter enforcement, starting with removing certain content for all Pinners, rather than limiting its distribution. Specifically, we have updated our policies to remove references to self-harm or suicide in artwork, memes, or jokes.” Source location Response from Pinterest
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Introduce alternate-topic nudges for teenagers who dwell on the same type of Explore content.
Verbatim wording from the response “e. We have introduced an alternate topic nudge feature for teenagers in a number of countries, including the UK. On Instagram, teenagers are now shown notifications that encourage them to switch to a different topic if they have been dwelling on the same type of content on Explore. We designed this feature based in part on research which suggested that nudges could be effective for helping people, especially teenagers, to be more mindful about how they use social media.” Source location Response from META
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Develop and operate Take a Break reminders and notifications encouraging teenagers to reduce or pause Instagram use.
Verbatim wording from the response “d. We collaborated with experts to develop the “Take a Break” feature to encourage people, particularly teenagers, to make informed decisions about how they are spending their time on Instagram. All Instagram users have the ability to set reminders to take more breaks from using Instagram. These reminders show expert-backed tips to help users to reflect and reset. To make sure that users under the age of 18 are aware of this feature, we show them notifications suggesting they turn these reminders on. This feature builds on our existing “Daily Limit” feature, which allows people to see how much time they are spending on Instagram and set limits for how long they want to spend on Instagram each day. We are currently testing new tools that help teenagers reduce distractions and give them more ways to take time away from Instagram, and we hope to launch these to our community in the UK soon.” Source location Response from META
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How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Continue evolving the Best Interests of the Child Framework through expert consultation, user research, and co-design.
Verbatim wording from the response “We therefore incorporate a variety of views, including from teenagers and their parents and guardians, when designing our apps. An example of this process is the virtual co-design methodology employed in the development of Family Centre and Education Hub. Between December 2021 and October 2022, Meta and the Trust, Transparency and Control (“TTC”) Labs⁵ conducted co-design sessions with a diverse sample of teenagers and their parents/guardians, alongside consultations with external experts from government, nonprofit organisations and academics to help inform the development process. We will continue to evolve the guiding questions and resources in Meta’s Best Interests of the Child Framework as we learn more through expert consultation, user research and co-design.” Source location Response from META
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How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Implement technology to limit suspicious adults’ ability to contact, follow, interact with, or view teenagers’ content.
Verbatim wording from the response “f. We have implemented technology which seeks to limit teenagers under the age of 18 from receiving unwanted contact from adults. The technology identifies adult Instagram accounts which have displayed potentially suspicious behaviour and limits these accounts” Source location Response from META
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Explore expanding age-verification tools to additional use cases.
Verbatim wording from the response “d. Meta continues to work to develop accessible, privacy-protective and technology-driven age assurance solutions. This year, we began partnering with online age-verification specialist Yoti to bring new age verification tools to Instagram. Now, when someone attempts to edit their date of birth from under the age of 18 to over, we require them to verify their age by selecting either to: (i) provide a video “selfie”, with Yoti’s face-based age prediction technology then predicting their age; or (ii) upload their identification documents. We are continuing to explore expanding these tools to new use cases.” Source location Response from META
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Introduce safety tools for blocking related accounts, prompting reflection before sensitive comment replies, and encouraging respectful direct messages.
Verbatim wording from the response “experience on our platforms. A recent example is the safety tools we announced in October 2022, which include: (i) allowing an individual, when blocking another user, to select to block other accounts they may have created, making it more difficult for that user to interact with them on Instagram; (ii) “nudging” users by sending them notifications which encourage them to pause and consider their response before replying to a comment that our systems tell us might be sensitive; and (iii) sending users a reminder to be respectful when sending direct messages to people who use creator accounts.⁶” Source location Response from META
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Introduce notifications directing teenagers to use reporting tools after blocking an account.
Verbatim wording from the response “h. We have developed a number of tools so that teenagers can let us know if something makes them feel uncomfortable while using our apps, and we have recently introduced new notifications that encourage them to use these tools. For example, after a teenager blocks an account, we prompt them to report the account to us.” Source location Response from META
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Implement Recommendation Guidelines to avoid recommending sensitive or inappropriate content to younger users.
Verbatim wording from the response “5. Providing a safe, positive and inclusive environment for all of the people who use our apps is of paramount importance. We design our policies and services, including our Community Standards and Community Guidelines (hereafter our “Content Policies”) which define what content is and is not permitted on our platforms, with our youngest users in mind. These policies seek to balance freedom of expression alongside other important values, such as safety, privacy and dignity. We work hard to enforce our Content Policies and use a combination of ever-advancing technology, user reports and human reviewers to detect and remove content that violates them.” Source location Response from META
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Test new online age-verification methods and work with relevant stakeholders to develop equitable age-assurance solutions.
Verbatim wording from the response “9. Understanding people's age online remains a complex, industry-wide challenge that requires thoughtful solutions to appropriately balance privacy, effectiveness, and fairness. Many people, particularly teenagers and people from underserved communities, do not have access to formal identification. As an industry, we have to explore novel and equitable ways to approach the dilemma of verifying age online that are not reliant on a form of identification. We have recently been testing new methods to verify age online and we are committed to continuing to work with governments, regulators, experts and others in our industry to develop clear and equitable solutions and guidance for age assurance online.” Source location Response from META
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Test additional tools to reduce distractions and help teenagers take time away from Instagram.
Verbatim wording from the response “d. We collaborated with experts to develop the “Take a Break” feature to encourage people, particularly teenagers, to make informed decisions about how they are spending their time on Instagram. All Instagram users have the ability to set reminders to take more breaks from using Instagram. These reminders show expert-backed tips to help users to reflect and reset. To make sure that users under the age of 18 are aware of this feature, we show them notifications suggesting they turn these reminders on. This feature builds on our existing “Daily Limit” feature, which allows people to see how much time they are spending on Instagram and set limits for how long they want to spend on Instagram each day. We are currently testing new tools that help teenagers reduce distractions and give them more ways to take time away from Instagram, and we hope to launch these to our community in the UK soon.” Source location Response from META
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Expand age-gating to restrict teenagers’ access to additional categories of content.
Verbatim wording from the response “c. We already work to limit the ability for users under the age of 18 to view certain categories of content, for example diet products, alcohol, and tobacco (this is called “age-gating”), and we are currently looking at expanding the types of content that we are able to age-gate.” Source location Response from META
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Improve age-estimation technology and deploy it in additional use cases to tailor teenagers’ experiences and restrict suspicious adult interactions.
Verbatim wording from the response “c. We have invested heavily in artificial intelligence models to help us estimate age. We use this technology to help us identify whether someone is an adult or a teenager and work to tailor their experience accordingly, for example, by restricting teenagers' interaction with potentially suspicious adults (as explained above). We are working to improve the accuracy of this technology and to deploy it in additional use cases as part of our ongoing efforts to provide our users with an age appropriate experience.” Source location Response from META
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Introduce Sensitive Content Control with more restrictive default settings and limited options for teenagers.
Verbatim wording from the response “b. We have introduced the “Sensitive Content Control”, which applies to all surfaces on Instagram where content or accounts are recommended.³ As set out in our Recommendation Guidelines, we work to avoid recommending certain types of content to people. As part of this, the Sensitive Content Control seeks to provide users with some degree of choice over how much non-violating (i.e. does not violate our Content Policies) but potentially sensitive content is displayed to them on these surfaces. The Sensitive Content Control has only two options for teenagers: “Standard” and “Less”. Whereas users aged 18 and over can select to see “More”, we do not allow teenagers to access the less restrictive sensitivity settings. Additionally, teenagers under the age of 16 are defaulted into the “Less” option when signing up to Instagram.” Source location Response from META
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Develop and use the Best Interests of the Child Framework during app and feature development.
Verbatim wording from the response “7. Consistent with our continued efforts to provide age-appropriate services, we have developed the Best Interests of the Child Framework⁴ to be used during app and feature development. The framework helps us consider, and incorporate into the services we provide, guidance and principles from the Information Commissioner’s Office’s (the “ICO”) Age-Appropriate Design Code (“AADC”), the UN's Convention on the Rights of the Child, and other children’s rights groups. The framework includes six key considerations that our teams can consult to seek to ensure their work is rooted in global best practices and that our services support the well-being and rights of young people. We also recognise that to do this effectively, we must account for a range of different perspectives.” Source location Response from META
Open published response
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How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Continue updating Instagram Parents’ Guide and other parental education resources in line with expert guidance.
Verbatim wording from the response “19. In addition, experts have told us that it is important for parents to have conversations about internet use with their teenagers, and Meta has long endeavoured to provide helpful information and resources to assist those conversations, for example, through the Education Hub (accessible from the Family Centre). This includes, by way of example, the Instagram Parents’ Guide which has been published for several years and which we continue to update in line with current expert guidance, a guide to media literacy with ConnectSafely,⁹ and a resource for encouraging supportive conversations about mental health produced by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.” Source location Response from META
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Launch and expand Family Centre parental supervision tools, including account, connection, privacy, time-limit, and scheduled-break controls.
Verbatim wording from the response “18. Meta has accordingly implemented wide-ranging parental tools and resources, including tools which allow parents and guardians to supervise their teenager’s use of Instagram in-app, in addition to monitoring in person or at a device level. In 2022, Meta launched the Family Centre, a centralised place where parents can access supervision tools and information resources from leading experts. Through the Family Centre, once both the parent and teenager have accepted the supervision tools, parents can view the accounts that their teenager follows and the accounts that follow their teenager on Instagram, see the amount of time that their teenager spends on Instagram, set daily time limits on their teenager’s Instagram use, and schedule breaks for specific times of day or night when they do not want their teenager to use Instagram.” Source location Response from META
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Continue engaging with experts, regulators, legislators, and affected people while developing policies, tools, technology, and online-safety measures.
Verbatim wording from the response “2. Meta has carefully considered the evidence given to the Inquest, particularly the evidence given by Mr Russell, and the concerns raised in the Regulation 28 Report. We are committed to providing a positive experience on Instagram, especially for teenagers, and to continually taking steps to develop our policies, tools and technology in consultation with experts. Meta has engaged in the development of the UK Online Safety Bill from the outset, and will continue to do so. We support the Government's focus on suicide and self harm content within the Online Safety Bill, recognising how complex this issue is, and we welcome the Government's guidance on how to strike the balance between allowing for mental health dialogue and preventing people from seeing content on our platforms which may be sensitive.” Source location Response from META
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Test removing the message button on teenagers’ accounts when viewed by suspicious adults.
Verbatim wording from the response “g. We work to restrict direct messaging between teenagers and adults by limiting users we identify as adults from sending direct messages to people we have identified as under 18 years old, where the teenager is not already following the adult’s account. As an extra layer of protection, we are currently testing removing the “message” button on teenagers’ Instagram accounts where the accounts are viewed by suspicious adults. Additionally, we prompt teenagers to be more cautious about interactions in direct messages by providing safety notices to this effect.” Source location Response from META
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Require additional age verification using video selfies or identification documents when users change their stated age from under 18 to over 18.
Verbatim wording from the response “d. Meta continues to work to develop accessible, privacy-protective and technology-driven age assurance solutions. This year, we began partnering with online age-verification specialist Yoti to bring new age verification tools to Instagram. Now, when someone attempts to edit their date of birth from under the age of 18 to over, we require them to verify their age by selecting either to: (i) provide a video “selfie”, with Yoti’s face-based age prediction technology then predicting their age; or (ii) upload their identification documents. We are continuing to explore expanding these tools to new use cases.” Source location Response from META
Open published response
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Draft a new offence covering communications that promote self-harm.
Verbatim wording from the response “The government has recently announced that it will bring forward a new offence to address communications that promote self-harm. All companies in scope will therefore need to tackle this content under the illegal content safety duties and the individuals posting such content will be criminally liable. The government is in the process of drafting the new offence. Separate legislation will be introduced when Parliamentary time allows to cover anyone who physically assists someone to self-harm, for example, by providing them with an instrument to cut themselves.” Source location Response from Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
Open published response
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How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Bring the Online Safety Bill into force to provide the strongest possible protections for children online.
Verbatim wording from the response “The government is committed to introducing the strongest possible protections for children online. The Online Safety Bill (the Bill) was introduced to Parliament on 17 March and this groundbreaking piece of legislation will deliver the government’s manifesto commitment of making the UK the safest place in the world to be online. The Bill will make technology providers accountable to an independent regulator to keep their users, particularly children, safe online. The government is committed to ensuring the legislation is in place in a timely fashion, however, it’s important to note that the Bill may change during its Parliamentary passage, with its final form and approval being the responsibility of Parliament.” Source location Response from Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
Open published response
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How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Name the Children’s Commissioner as a statutory consultee for Ofcom’s development of online-safety codes of practice.
Verbatim wording from the response “The government has also announced that it will make changes to the Bill to strengthen the protections for children. The Bill will be amended to require the largest platforms to publish summaries of their risk assessments for illegal content and material that is harmful to children, to allow users and empower parents to clearly understand the risks presented by these services and the approach platforms are taking to children’s safety. Moreover, we are naming the Children’s Commissioner as a statutory consultee for Ofcom in its development of the codes of practice, ensuring that Ofcom considers the experience of children and young people in its delivery of the codes.” Source location Response from Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
Open published response
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How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Introduce the Online Safety Bill to Parliament to establish protections for children online.
Verbatim wording from the response “The government is committed to introducing the strongest possible protections for children online. The Online Safety Bill (the Bill) was introduced to Parliament on 17 March and this groundbreaking piece of legislation will deliver the government’s manifesto commitment of making the UK the safest place in the world to be online. The Bill will make technology providers accountable to an independent regulator to keep their users, particularly children, safe online. The government is committed to ensuring the legislation is in place in a timely fashion, however, it’s important to note that the Bill may change during its Parliamentary passage, with its final form and approval being the responsibility of Parliament.” Source location Response from Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
Open published response
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How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Review how advertising regulation should be modernised and assess harms caused by paid-for online advertising across the supply chain.
Verbatim wording from the response “In addition to the Bill, the Online Advertising Programme is considering how advertising regulation should be modernised for the digital age and is reviewing the spectrum of harms caused by paid-for online advertising. It will look at the role of all parties in the supply chain, including intermediaries, services and publishers not currently covered by regulation, to provide a holistic review of the regulatory framework. The government consulted publicly on its proposals for the Online Advertising Programme earlier this year. We will publish a response to the consultation in due course.” Source location Response from Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
Open published response
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How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Publish the government’s response to the Online Advertising Programme consultation.
Verbatim wording from the response “In addition to the Bill, the Online Advertising Programme is considering how advertising regulation should be modernised for the digital age and is reviewing the spectrum of harms caused by paid-for online advertising. It will look at the role of all parties in the supply chain, including intermediaries, services and publishers not currently covered by regulation, to provide a holistic review of the regulatory framework. The government consulted publicly on its proposals for the Online Advertising Programme earlier this year. We will publish a response to the consultation in due course.” Source location Response from Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
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How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Introduce separate legislation covering physical assistance to self-harm when Parliamentary time allows.
Verbatim wording from the response “The government has recently announced that it will bring forward a new offence to address communications that promote self-harm. All companies in scope will therefore need to tackle this content under the illegal content safety duties and the individuals posting such content will be criminally liable. The government is in the process of drafting the new offence. Separate legislation will be introduced when Parliamentary time allows to cover anyone who physically assists someone to self-harm, for example, by providing them with an instrument to cut themselves.” Source location Response from Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
Open published response
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How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Amend the Online Safety Bill to strengthen protections for children, including age-restriction transparency and platform risk-assessment summaries.
Verbatim wording from the response “The government has also recently announced that it will strengthen the Bill’s protections for children, to make it even more explicit that providers of services with age restrictions will have to ensure that only users who are old enough are able to access their service. These providers will now need to explain in their terms of service the measures they use to enforce age restrictions, such as the use of age assurance or age verification technologies. This will prevent” Source location Response from Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
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How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Publish guidance and a GOV.UK resource hub supporting providers to take voluntary action to improve child online safety.
Verbatim wording from the response “Finally, with regards to self-regulation ahead of legislation, the government agrees that providers should be taking proactive steps now to improve safety online, particularly for children, and not wait for the legislation to come into force before acting. The government has published resources to support providers to take voluntary action to improve safety for their users, especially children. In June 2021, we published ‘Principles of safe online platform design’ guidance and a ‘One-Stop Shop’ for child online safety on GOV.UK. These are resources which give practical guidance for providers on what they can do to design safer services and further increase children’s safety online ahead of the new regulatory framework.” Source location Response from Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
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PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Removing posts describing personal self-harm experiences is considered potentially harmful because it may stigmatise users and remove opportunities for intervention and support.
Verbatim wording from the response “In addition to content removal, Twitter also marks hyperlinks as unsafe; for example, where a link may be seeking to spread instructional material⁹.” Source location Response from Twitter International Unlimited Company
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How this respondent position was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation A separate platform for teenagers is not adopted because its benefits are unclear and existing age-appropriate design and safety features are relied upon instead.
Verbatim wording from the response “4.2. There are a number of challenges for any social media platform in creating a separate platform for teenage users, while the benefits of segregated platforms are not clear. A proportion of teenagers will always discuss their emotions and mental health challenges on social media. Sharing a platform with adults provided an opportunity for supervision and support to be provided to teenagers, in circumstances where teenagers segregated on a platform may not be as well equipped to respond appropriately to such content.” Source location Response from Twitter International Unlimited Company
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PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Snap considers its moderated and curated public content architecture sufficient to limit algorithmic amplification risks.
Verbatim wording from the response “(Question 4) That algorithms were used to provide content together with adverts.” Source location Response from Snap
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How this respondent position was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Comprehensive age verification should be developed through app stores, operating systems, mobile operators and hardware providers rather than solely by platforms.
Verbatim wording from the response “Interaction with either one of the two app stores is a key gateway through which all users must pass before they can install apps on their phones. The two app stores are run by the two major operating system providers - Apple and Google. Introducing the two companies’ comprehensive family suites of safety and wellbeing tools - age-gates, screen time limits, downtime setting, monitoring app downloads and in-app purchases, white/black lists, etc - when signing up to the app stores would identify any underage users who somehow fell through earlier (and unavoidable) entry points. We believe this to be the most viable opportunity for a robust, comprehensive and industry-wide age verification system to be developed and located. All the more so given the existence in both stores of credit-card-based verification for parents and carers.” Source location Response from Snap
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How this respondent position was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Snap disputes that there is no age verification, stating users provide dates of birth and under-13 registrations fail.
Verbatim wording from the response “We are deeply committed to ensuring children under the age of 13 are not able to access Snapchat and we approach this in the following ways.” Source location Response from Snap
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How this respondent position was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Separate platforms or age-specific content may not improve teen safety and could dilute moderation efforts or divert resources.
Verbatim wording from the response “We have considered whether separate platforms for those over and under 18, and/or providing age-specific content to those two groups, would make Pinterest safer.” Source location Response from Pinterest
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How this respondent position was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Effective age assurance remains constrained by evolving technology, circumvention risks and potential privacy burdens.
Verbatim wording from the response “Age assurance is a key priority for Pinterest in order to help protect the safety of both teen Pinners and those too young to open an account (under 13s). These are industry-wide challenges, technological solutions continue to evolve, and we remain committed to exploring the best ways to combat this issue. Unless and until age assurance technology works with greater efficacy, teens will still find ways to circumvent the age assurance process. Similarly, there are active debates regarding whether age assurance regimes may introduce undue burdens on an internet user’s privacy by preventing them from visiting a site if they wish to withhold information from an internet platform regarding their identity.” Source location Response from Pinterest
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How this respondent position was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Online service providers are responsible for implementing safety measures, including age assurance, content controls and algorithmic risk mitigation.
Verbatim wording from the response “Separation of Children and Adults on Online Services and Age Verification
Turning to the first two specific areas of concern you have raised, the Bill sets out clear duties to ensure children are only able to access content that is appropriate for their age group. The Bill will require providers to ensure that children are not able to access services, or parts of services, that pose the highest risk of harm, including those hosting age-inappropriate or harmful material for children. For services which are only appropriate for certain age groups, providers will likewise need to take steps to ensure that only children who are old enough are able to access the service. The Bill in general is technology-neutral in order to ensure it does not become outdated in future, and so does not mandate the use of specific technologies such as age-assurance or age verification.” Source location Response from Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
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How this respondent position was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Parliament is responsible for the Online Safety Bill’s final form and approval.
Verbatim wording from the response “The government is committed to introducing the strongest possible protections for children online. The Online Safety Bill (the Bill) was introduced to Parliament on 17 March and this groundbreaking piece of legislation will deliver the government’s manifesto commitment of making the UK the safest place in the world to be online. The Bill will make technology providers accountable to an independent regulator to keep their users, particularly children, safe online. The government is committed to ensuring the legislation is in place in a timely fashion, however, it’s important to note that the Bill may change during its Parliamentary passage, with its final form and approval being the responsibility of Parliament.” Source location Response from Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
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How this respondent position was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Ofcom is responsible for setting detailed compliance measures and enforcing providers’ online safety duties.
Verbatim wording from the response “The Bill will be overseen and enforced by Ofcom. As the independent regulator, Ofcom will set out in codes of practice the steps that providers can take to comply with their duties. Ofcom will also have a range of enforcement powers, which will include substantial fines and, where appropriate, business disruption measures (including blocking). There will also be a criminal offence for senior managers who fail to ensure their company complies with Ofcom’s information requests to push strong compliance in this area.” Source location Response from Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
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