A watchdog has come under fire for its "lack of ambition" regarding the Online Safety Act, with a charity cautioning that tech giants could potentially reduce their safety efforts and still meet the new regulations due to a "checklist" style of governance.

Andy Burrows, chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, highlighted some significant "pretty clear systemic weaknesses" in Ofcom's execution of the new online safety laws and urged the Government to step in and fortify the Act.

Speaking with Sky News, Mr Burrows pointed out that Ofcom's current strategy of laying down codes of practice for tech companies means that major players might "scale back" on their safety protocols yet remain within the bounds of the Online Safety Act. "What we're seeing from Ofcom is a distinct lack of ambition," Mr Burrows remarked.

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"They are being cautious in the face of really pronounced, urgent challenges but that has also exposed some pretty clear systemic weaknesses with the way the original Act was drafted. One of the big problems right now is that, essentially, if some of the big tech platforms comply with a checklist that Ofcom has set out in its codes of practice then they're taken as being compliant.

"What that essentially means is that some of the big tech services – the Metas of this , the TikToks of the world – could actually scale back what they currently do and be taken as compliant. That's not what Parliament envisaged."

Mr Burrows said that the Molly Rose Foundation has recently engaged with the Prime Minister on this crucial concern, urging him to pledge commitment towards a "new Act that can strengthen this regime". The Molly Rose Foundation was set up by the family of , who chose to end her life aged 14, in November 2017, after viewing suicide and self-harm content on social media.

According to the current Online Safety Act, heavyweight tech companies are required to abide by Ofcom's guidelines which address issues like unlawful material and protecting children from digital dangers. This includes eliminating illegal content from their platforms and installing checks like age verification to block children's access to toxic content.

Non-compliant firms risk heavy penalties which could result in fines amounting to as much as 10% of their worldwide turnover, translating into billions for the largest companies. Nevertheless, Mr Burrows expressed the Molly Rose Foundation's "fear" that the UK is regressing on child online safety measures.

He brought attention to Meta's recent moves including dialling down the use of third-party fact-checking across the pond, shifting towards a community notes system managed by users, and easing their content policy on some topics under the umbrella of free speech. These steps, Mr Burrows argued, are indicative of big tech's retreat from securing online safety.

"What we've seen from some of the big tech companies, from (Meta boss) Mark Zuckerberg since Donald Trump's election, is a bonfire of safety measures here in the UK," he remarked.

Mr Burrows has made a passionate plea to Sir and Secretary Peter Kyle, encouraging them to heed the concerns of UK parents instead of bowing to "geopolitical pressures now from the US and elsewhere" which are advocating for less stringent regulation of tech companies.

He claimed: "Our polling shows 85% of parents want a new Act and I think if the Government has the ambition and the bravery to fix this Act and to tackle these issues once and for all, parents watching this right across the country this morning will cheer the Prime Minister on."