In its response to a consultation earlier this year, the Molly Rose Foundation said it had “significant concerns” about the regulator’s approach and its “limited potential to protect users from preventable harm”.
One online safety campaigner added: “It’s becoming abundantly clear that Ofcom are not enforcing hard enough.”
The NSPCC, a leading children’s charity, has also taken aim at Ofcom, pointing to “notable gaps” in its proposals.
Child safety campaigners have raised concerns about loopholes in the draft plans, including the failure to tackle features such as notifications, infinite scrolling and “streaks” that keep young people glued to social media.
They have also warned of the risks posed by live streaming and the failure to enforce age verification.
An Ofcom spokesman said: “Make no mistake, our proposed online safety codes will be game-changing in creating a safer life online – they go further than anywhere else in the world and way beyond current industry standards.
“As we consult on these proposals, we’re listening carefully to all the feedback we receive from valued experts – including children themselves. We’ll finalise our ‘first edition’ codes within a year so we can start enforcing the new laws quickly.
The spokesman added: “And this is just the start – we’re already looking at how we can strengthen them in the future as our evidence grows, such as using AI to detect harmful content.
“If platforms fail in their duties to protect children, we’ll have a broad range of enforcement powers at our disposal to ensure they’re held fully accountable for the safety of their users.”
The Labour Party has cited online safety as one of its key priorities after accusing the Tories of watering down the measures.
Peter Kyle, the Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary, has said there is “more to do” to strengthen the laws.
He has already set out plans for a new law, which will work in conjunction with the Online Safety Act, granting bereaved parents access to their children’s social media accounts following a campaign led by Mr Russell.
