United Kingdom: Issued report following inquiry into harmful content available via Internet search engines

On 31 January 2024, the Office of Communications (Ofcom) issued the report following the inquiry into harmful content available via Internet search engines. The study was conducted by the Network Contagion Research Institute, which found that major search engines can act as gateways to harmful self-injury-related content. The study analysed over 37’000 result links returned by search engines such as Google, Microsoft Bing, DuckDuckGo, Yahoo!, and AOL. The findings highlighted the prevalence of harmful self-injury content, the particular risk carried by image searches, and the challenge posed by cryptic search terms. Ofcom emphasised the need for search services to understand their potential risks and the effectiveness of their protection measures, particularly for keeping children safe online. The Ofcom noted that it will integrate the inquiry’s findings into the Code of Practice for the Protection of Children.