Observed Signal · May 26, 2026 · Research Findings · Source: VideoWeek · Impact: 4/5 · Sentiment: Negative
Ofcom: Child Harms Rising; Video Boosts Podcast Revenue
VideoWeek's Week in Charts reports Ofcom research showing little improvement in children’s exposure to harmful content since the UK Online Safety Act came into force: 73% of UK children encountered harmful content over four weeks, with recall rising on TikTok (53%), Instagram (34%), Snapchat (31%) and WhatsApp (25%). Channel 4 said YouTube viewing of its content reached five billion minutes in 2025 and now represents about 6% of its digital viewing, with YouTube revenues nearly doubling. Industry measurement and automation trends include Affinity Solutions finding over 20% of brands and agencies minimally automated in campaign optimisation, while a Haus survey ranked incrementality testing (60% trust) and media-mix modeling (40%) among the most trusted measurement approaches. The roundup also notes various stock moves across agencies, publishers and tech companies.
Ofcom's regulator-backed findings show persistent child-safety issues despite the Online Safety Act, signalling continued regulatory scrutiny of social platforms; simultaneous publisher monetisation shifts (Channel 4 on YouTube) and measurement trust signals affect ad monetisation, platform relationships and industry measurement strategies.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Ofcom found 73% of UK children encountered harmful content over a four-week period.
- Recall of harmful content increased on TikTok (53%), Instagram (34%), Snapchat (31%) and WhatsApp (25%) since the Online Safety Act duties took effect.
- Channel 4 reported five billion YouTube viewing minutes in 2025, up from 1.5 billion in 2022; YouTube now accounts for roughly 6% of Channel 4's digital viewing and its YouTube revenues nearly doubled year-on-year.
- Affinity Solutions reported more than 20% of brands and agencies say their campaign optimisation is minimally automated or not automated at all.
- A Haus survey found 60% of US marketers trust incrementality testing, while 40% trust media-mix modeling (MMM).
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Social Media to Dominate Media Spend; TikTok Kids 'AI Slop'
VideoWeek’s Week in Charts highlights industry research and market movements: WPP Media forecasts global ad spend on media content will reach $947 billion by 2030, with social media and other digital channels accounting for more than 80% of that total while TV share falls. Kapwing research reports that over half of kids’ content on TikTok is so-called “AI slop,” with 97% of #cartoonkids videos flagged. Digital i data shows South Korea leads 15 tracked markets with average daily YouTube viewing of 161.5 minutes. The piece also notes recent corporate product launches and stock moves: Stagwell and Magnite posted stock gains tied to new “agentic” products, Disney rose ahead of Toy Story 5, Thomson Reuters shares fell, and Microsoft shares weakened amid AI spending concerns.
BBC Tops YouTube in UK Reach; AI Hits Publishers
After Publicis advised clients to stop transacting on The Trade Desk following a fee audit that found the DSP had "improperly applied" its fee and auto-opted some clients into fee-based offerings, Omnicom said it will commission its own third-party audit. The Trade Desk denied the allegations but its stock fell about 18% after the disclosures. Competing adtech firms and mid-market TV platforms — including StackAdapt, Quantcast, Tatari and Illumin — have actively marketed to agencies and buyers in the wake of the controversy, emphasizing transparency and alternative buying models. Agencies Dentsu and WPP have also exited The Trade Desk’s OpenPath service. It remains unclear whether rivals will capture significant spend from The Trade Desk amid the audits and wider industry scrutiny over DSP fees and transparency.
Musician sentenced for AI streaming fraud
A 54-year-old musician in the US has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for orchestrating a large-scale streaming fraud scheme. Using up to 10,000 bots, thousands of fake accounts, and thousands of AI-generated songs, he manipulated streaming platforms such as Apple Music, Amazon Music, and YouTube between 2017 and 2024. The fraudulent streams generated millions in royalty payments. At one point, his songs achieved 80.9 million streams in April, far surpassing Taylor Swift's 9.3 million. The court also ordered him to repay over $8 million. His defense argued that no musicians were directly harmed, but prosecutors countered that real artists and fans were deprived of royalties.
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