Nearly Half of Teenage Girls Still Seeing Harmful Content Online, M·E·L Research and Molly Rose Foundation Find
New research conducted by M·E·L Research for the Molly Rose Foundation suggests that many young people continue to encounter harmful suicide, self-harm, depression and eating disorder content online, despite protections introduced under the Online Safety Act.
The research suggests that, despite significant regulatory changes, many children continue to encounter harmful content as part of their everyday online lives. Of particular note to ongoing debate is the extent to which recommender feeds play a central role in driving children’s exposure to harmful content.
The findings arrive at a time of intense debate about how best to protect children online, with policymakers considering additional measures, including the social media ban for under-16s from Spring 2027, announced by the UK Government yesterday (15th June 2026).
Almost half of girls aged 13–17 (47%) saw high risk suicide, self-harm, depression and eating disorder content on social media, according to new research conducted by M·E·L Research for the Molly Rose Foundation.
The study, based on a survey of 1,825 young people across the UK, suggests that children’s exposure to harmful online content remains widespread despite new protections introduced under the Online Safety Act.
Overall, more than a third of teenagers (34%) reported seeing at least one form of high-risk suicide, self-harm, depression or eating disorder content during the previous week. The figure is barely changed from levels recorded before the Online Safety Act came into effect.
Are children still seeing harmful content despite the Online Safety Act?
The research suggests that many are.
Nearly a year after the Online Safety Act’s child protection measures came into force, more than one in three teenagers continue to report seeing harmful content online.
Looking at specific types of content:
22% of young people reported seeing content related to hopelessness, despair or suicidal feelings
11% reported seeing content showing self-harm
One in ten (10%) reported seeing content that encourages or promotes eating disorders.
While some content categories have seen small reductions since the first wave of research, overall exposure to harmful content remains largely unchanged.
Which young people are most likely to encounter harmful content online?
The findings reveal particularly high levels of exposure among girls.
Nearly half (47%) reported seeing high-risk content in the previous week, compared with 23% of boys.
The research also found elevated levels of exposure among young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), as well as those reporting lower levels of wellbeing. More than half (57%) of young people with low wellbeing reported seeing high risk content during the previous week.
These findings suggest that groups who may already be more vulnerable are also more likely to encounter potentially harmful material online.
How often are teenagers exposed to suicide, self-harm and eating disorder content?
The study found that exposure is often not limited to a single encounter.
Many young people reported repeated exposure to harmful content, increasing the potential for cumulative harm. Between 11% and 22% of those who had seen particular high-risk content types said they had encountered them ten or more times on at least one platform during a single week.
Researchers also found substantial overlap between different categories of harmful content. Young people who encountered one type of high-risk content frequently reported seeing other harmful themes as well, creating multiple and reinforcing sources of risk.
Are social media algorithms still recommending harmful content to children?
One of the most significant findings was the continued role of recommendation algorithms.
Across all content themes explored in the research, algorithmically recommended feeds remained the most common route through which young people encountered potentially harmful material.
Around six in ten young people who reported seeing harmful content said they encountered it through recommended content feeds rather than actively searching for it themselves.
The findings raise important questions about the role of platform design and recommendation systems in shaping children’s online experiences.
Which social media platforms are linked to the highest levels of harmful content exposure?
TikTok emerged as the platform most frequently associated with exposure to harmful content.
Three-quarters (76%) of teenagers who reported seeing high risk content said they had encountered it on TikTok, significantly more than on any other platform included in the research.
Even when accounting for time spent on different platforms, TikTok users remained among the most likely to report exposure to harmful content.
The findings contribute to growing discussions around platform responsibility and the effectiveness of existing safeguards designed to protect young users.
Why are these findings important now?
As policymakers debate the future of online safety regulation, these findings provide an important evidence base for understanding how young people experience social media today.
The research suggests that, despite significant regulatory changes, many children continue to encounter harmful content as part of their everyday online lives. It also highlights the importance of understanding not only whether harmful content is present on platforms, but how frequently young people are exposed to it and how recommendation systems influence those experiences.
About the research
Conducted by M·E·L Research in partnership with the Molly Rose Foundation and supported by the PSHE Association, the study surveyed 1,825 young people aged 13–17 across 21 schools throughout the UK during April and May 2026.
The research explored children’s exposure to suicide, self-harm, depression and eating disorder content across six major social media platforms: TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, Pinterest and X. By examining not only whether young people encountered harmful content, but also how often they saw it and where they encountered it, the study provides one of the most detailed recent examinations of children’s online experiences following the introduction of the Online Safety Act.
As discussions about the future of online regulation continue, the findings underline the importance of grounding policy decisions in robust evidence. Understanding how young people actually experience social media platforms will be critical if future interventions are to deliver meaningful improvements in online safety.
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