Better Internet for Kids

This 2024 Digital Futures for Children report examines whether regulation is leading technology companies to make concrete changes that improve children’s online privacy and safety. It reviews measures introduced by Meta, Google, TikTok and Snap between 2017 and 2024, against the backdrop of the UK Age Appropriate Design Code, the Online Safety Act, the EU Digital Services Act, GDPR and other regulatory frameworks. The report identifies 128 publicly announced changes, including private-by-default accounts, changes to recommender systems, restrictions on targeted advertising, parental controls and other safety tools. It concludes that regulation is driving meaningful changes to digital services, particularly through changes to product design and default settings, although more evidence is needed to assess how effective these measures are in practice. It also highlights transparency gaps and warns against over-reliance on parental controls where this could affect children’s autonomy or other rights. Its recommendations call for stronger transparency, better access to platform data for independent research, more consistent regulatory monitoring, and greater international cooperation on children’s online privacy and safety.