The media regulator has observed that it is likely that many users of video-sharing sites, such as Onlyfans, Twitch and Snapchat, may have difficulty grasping and interpreting the regulations for each site.
Ofcom conducted an examination of the ease with which individuals can gain access to the terms and conditions established by six platforms.
It was found that a high level of reading proficiency was necessary to comprehend them.
The findings showed that their complexity and size made them unfit for kids.
Jessica Zucker, who is the online safety policy director at Ofcom, declared that terms and conditions are a vital element in safeguarding people, particularly children, from harm when utilizing social video sites and applications.
"The necessity of having clear and unmistakable guidelines is why this reporting and moderation of potentially damaging videos only can work," she continued.
Our report revealed that certain UK video-sharing platforms have drafted terms that are lengthy, complicated, and occasionally incoherent, which might leave users and moderators unaware.
The watchdog reported that OnlyFans' terms of service are a staggering 16,000 words long, taking adult users over an hour to read through.
This was followed by Twitch, Snapchat, TikTok, Brand New Tube and finally BitChute; the latter being comprised of 2,017 words which would take a normal adult around eight minutes to read through.
Ofcom worked out a "reading ease" score for the terms of service of each platform. All, apart from TikTok's, were viewed as being "challenging to comprehend and best understood by high-school graduates".
Though users without a university education were expected to understand the rules of TikTok, Ofcom discovered the youngest users on the platform had difficulty grasping them.
The report indicated that Snapchat, TikTok and BitChute use "click wrap" arrangements, in which platforms establish the acknowledgment of the terms of service simply by registering.
As users are not prompted to examine the rules, it is simpler for them to accept them without bothering to open or read them.
The research from Ofcom uncovered a lack of comprehension amongst users regarding the types of material not allowed on their respective sites. It was determined that OnlyFans and Snapchat supply their customers with minimal specifics of what is forbidden.
The research revealed a lack of comprehension regarding the repercussions of not following the rules established by the platforms.
While TikTok and Twitch provide users with a dedicated page that outlines the consequences of failing to abide by their rules, other providers offer scarce details on the actions that moderators may take.
The Ofcom report investigated content moderators on the six platforms and discovered that they do not always possess the necessary training to be able to execute their policies.
The wide range of internal resources available for moderators showed disparity, and not many supplied specific advice on what to do in an emergency.
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