Impact of regulation on children’s digital lives
By Steve Wood
Meta, Google, TikTok and Snap made 128 documented child-safety and privacy changes between 2017 and 2024, peaking at 42 changes in 2021 when the UK Age Appropriate Design Code took effect; Meta alone accounted for 61 of the changes. Only 8 of 50 companies contacted with information requests responded.
Executive summary
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This Phase I report from the Digital Futures for Children centre (LSE/5Rights Foundation), authored by researcher Steve Wood, is the first systematic count of child-safety and privacy design changes made by major platforms in response to regulation. It reviews 50 platforms over 2017-2024 against the UK Age Appropriate Design Code, UK Online Safety Act, and EU Digital Services Act, using public announcements and direct company responses as evidence. It concludes regulation — especially the UK AADC — has driven substantial ‘by default’ design change, but flags that most companies did not engage with the researchers’ information requests and that independent effectiveness data is still lacking.
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