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In a significant move to safeguard consumers, the Liberal Democrats are advocating for Ofcom, the UK's media regulator, to oversee advertising on YouTube with the same rigor applied to traditional broadcasters. The party argues that the current "lighter touch" approach leaves a dangerous loophole, allowing harmful and misleading content to reach millions of viewers, including children.
The call for action is fueled by recent data from an Ofcom report, which reveals YouTube's growing dominance in the UK media landscape. The video streaming service has now surpassed ITV to become the second most-watched media service in the country, behind only the BBC. The report found that people spent an average of 39 minutes a day on YouTube in 2024, with a notable increase in viewing on television sets. This trend is driven by younger audiences, with a staggering one in five children aged 4 to 15 heading straight to the app when they turn on the TV.
Lib Dem MP Max Wilkinson, the party's culture spokesperson, highlights the injustice of a "two-tier system" where traditional broadcasters like ITV face rigorous scrutiny from industry bodies like Clearcast and Radio Central, while a digital giant like YouTube is left to "mark its own homework." These pre-clearance checks, which are standard for TV and radio, are currently not a requirement for YouTube advertising.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which monitors online ads, acknowledged that many of the highlighted scams, including deepfakes and fraudulent investment schemes, fall under the purview of Ofcom's new powers under the Online Safety Act. However, the ASA's current role is to support this work by reporting and assisting in the removal of problematic ads, a process that can be reactive and slow, potentially leaving harmful content online for days.
The Liberal Democrats are urging the government to act immediately, pushing for a system that includes tougher oversight, clearer accountability, and the power for Ofcom to levy fines on platforms that fail to remove harmful content. These fines, they suggest, could then be used to support the victims of online scams.
This debate over online ad regulation comes as YouTube's content continues to evolve, with half of its top-trending videos now resembling traditional TV formats, such as long-form interviews and game shows. As the lines between broadcast media and digital platforms blur, consumer protection advocates argue that regulations must evolve with them to protect a public increasingly vulnerable to online exploitation.
