Ofcom Launches Investigation Into TikTok’s Child Safety Protections And Age Verification Systems
UK regulator Ofcom has opened an investigation into TikTok's ability to protect children from harmful content, expressing serious concerns about the platform's effectiveness at identifying underage users. The inquiry was triggered by findings in Ofcom's inaugural Age Assurance Report and builds on a May review that already concluded TikTok was not adequately safe for children, highlighting systemic gaps in the platform's age-gating mechanisms.
The investigation arrives as TikTok faces potential restrictions on youth access in the UK and underscores regulators' growing scrutiny of social media platforms' child protection measures. The timing suggests Ofcom is prioritising child safety ahead of any legislative changes, with the agency seeking to establish whether TikTok's current safeguards meet required standards for protecting minors from exposure to inappropriate material.
- Ofcom investigating TikTok over inadequate age verification and child safety failures
- Follows May review concluding platform is not sufficiently safe for children
- Part of broader Age Assurance Report; investigation precedes potential youth access restrictions
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TikTok is used by millions of children and teenagers in the UK, despite official rules saying users must be at least 13. Ofcom is the UK's communications regulator, and under the Online Safety Act it now has powers to check whether platforms like TikTok are doing enough to stop children encountering harmful content and to verify how old their users really are.
Ofcom had already reviewed TikTok's practices in May and found shortcomings in how it identifies and manages younger users. This new investigation follows a wider report Ofcom has produced on age-checking methods across the industry, and looks specifically at whether TikTok's systems are working well enough in practice.
The case matters because it could shape what protections children get on one of the world's most popular apps, and because Ofcom's findings may influence future rules or restrictions affecting how platforms verify users' ages more broadly.
Coverage
- Deadline — Ofcom Investigating TikTok Over Kids “Being At Risk Of Exposure To Harmful Content”
- BBC Technology — Ofcom launches investigation into TikTok child safety concerns