Ofcom publishes final rules to protect children online

The final version of new rules to govern child protection online have been published by the regulator Ofcom.

Sites will have to adjust their algorithms that recommend content to people and stronger age checks must be in place by 25 July, or big fines will be issued.

Any platform that hosts pornography, or offer content encouraging suicide or eating disorders must take stronger action to prevent children from seeing it in the first place.

In response, Ofcom chief dame Melanie Dawes said the new rules were a 'gamechanger'.

Professor Victoria Baines, former safety officer at Facebook also welcomed the new rules as a step in the right direction. She told the BBC "Big tech companies are really getting to grips with it , so they are putting money behind it, and more importantly they're putting people behind it."

The new rules are subject to parliamentary approval under the Online Safety Act.

Responding to the ruling, CARE's Senior Policy Officer Tim Cairns said: "The new rules are great. In theory we could have the safest internet in the world. But that will only happen if Ofcom properly enforce the rules. Without robust, swift and tough enforcement, these rules will not be worth the paper they are written on. So the duty now is on parliament to hold Ofcom's feet to the fire and ensure they follow through with sanctions on Big Tech when and if required."