On August 2, 2024, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) issued a statement calling on social media platforms (SMPs) and video-sharing platforms (VSPs) to improve their children's data privacy practices. The ICO stated that when platforms do not comply with the law, they will face enforcement action.

The ICO highlighted that it had reviewed 34 SMPs and VSPs focusing on the process young people go through to sign-up for accounts. Following the review, the ICO stated that it found varying levels of adherence to the ICO Children's Code, with some platforms not doing enough to protect children's privacy.

Specifically, the ICO noted that 11 out of the 34 platforms are being asked about issues relating to default privacy settings, geolocation, or age assurance, and to explain how their approach conforms with the Code, following concerns raised by the review.

Additionally, the ICO stated that it identified areas where further evidence is needed to improve understanding of how these services are impacting children's privacy. In this regard, the ICO explained that it is launching a call for evidence from interested stakeholders including online services, academics, and civil society to share their views and evidence on the following two areas of children's privacy:

• how children's personal information is currently being used in recommender systems (algorithms that use people's details to learn their interests and preferences in order to deliver content to them); and
• the recent developments in the use of age assurance to identify children under the age of 13 years.

Interested parties can respond to the call through the online survey, or email the completed Word version of the survey, available to download here, to [email protected].

You can read the statement here and the call for evidence here.