Social Media and Online Platform Complaints

The Online Safety Act 2023 places duties on regulated user-to-user platforms and search services to protect users from illegal content and, for larger platforms, legal but harmful content. Under the Act, platforms must:

• Have effective and accessible complaints mechanisms for content decisions
• Respond to complaints about content moderation within a reasonable timescale
• Provide clear information about what content is allowed and how moderation decisions are made

If a platform has removed your content, blocked your account, or refused to remove content you reported as harmful, use the platform's internal appeals mechanism first. If the platform fails to provide an accessible complaints process or systemically fails to comply with the Act's duties, you can report this to Ofcom.

If a social media platform has misused your personal data — sharing it without consent, refusing a subject access request, or breaching data protection law — your complaint goes to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

First, exercise your data rights directly with the platform (subject access requests, right to erasure, data portability). Platforms have one month to respond to data requests under UK GDPR. If they do not respond or their response is inadequate, complain to the ICO at ico.org.uk.

The ICO can investigate organisations and issue enforcement notices or fines for serious breaches. It can also uphold individual complaints and require organisations to take specific action.

If you have a dispute with a seller on an online marketplace (eBay, Amazon, Etsy, Facebook Marketplace), use the platform's dispute resolution system first. Most major platforms have a structured resolution process where you can escalate disputes to the platform if the seller does not respond or cooperate.

Your rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 apply to goods bought from professional sellers (traders) on these platforms, though the marketplace itself may not be liable for the underlying product. Consumer rights do not apply to private (consumer-to-consumer) sales.

If a marketplace does not resolve a genuine complaint and you paid by credit or debit card, consider a chargeback claim through your bank. For significant sums, the small claims court remains available.

The Online Safety Act 2023 came into force on 31 October 2023 and represents the most significant expansion of online platform regulation in the UK. Understanding what rights the Act gives you — and its limitations — is essential for anyone pursuing a complaint about a social media platform or online service.

Categorised services and tiered duties: The Act divides regulated services into categories based on their size and likely risk. Category 1 services (the largest, highest-reach platforms such as major social media networks) have the most extensive duties — including obligations around legal but harmful content. Category 2 services have lighter-touch duties focused on illegal content. All regulated services must have accessible, transparent complaints mechanisms and must respond to reports about illegal content within defined timeframes. If a platform's complaints mechanism is difficult to find, does not work, or fails to provide any response to a report, this is itself a potential breach of the Act that you can report to Ofcom.

Using your platform rights effectively: When you raise a complaint with a platform — about content moderation, account suspension, or a failure to act on reported illegal content — follow up in writing if you do not receive a substantive response. Screenshot and save the content that prompted your complaint before reporting it (as platforms sometimes remove it before investigations are complete). Note the exact dates and times you reported content, the platform's reference numbers (if provided), and any response you received. This record is important both for any escalation to Ofcom and for any personal data or defamation claim.

ICO and your data rights on social media: Social media platforms hold significant personal data about you — including content you have posted, content you have interacted with, advertising profiles, and inferred characteristics. Under UK GDPR, you have the right to: access all data held about you (a Subject Access Request); have inaccurate data corrected; have data erased in certain circumstances (the right to erasure); object to processing for direct marketing; and receive your data in a portable format. Platforms must respond to Subject Access Requests within one month (extendable to three months for complex requests). If a platform does not respond or provides an inadequate response, complain to the ICO. The ICO has a dedicated complaints pathway for social media platform data rights issues and has taken enforcement action against major platforms.

Equality Act 2010 and online platforms: Social media platforms and online marketplaces are service providers for Equality Act 2010 purposes where they serve UK users. If you have been treated worse by a platform, suspended, or had content removed in a manner that you believe was discriminatory on the grounds of a protected characteristic (race, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, etc.), raise this with the platform and, if unresolved, report to Ofcom. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) can also investigate systemic discriminatory practices by large online platforms.