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Ofcom launches probe into TikTok’s child age-checking systems
Ofcom will review TikTok’s use of “age inference” technology and assess whether it meets the requirement for highly effective age checks under the UK Online Safety Act.
Ofcom has launched an investigation into whether TikTok is doing enough to prevent children from accessing harmful content, focusing on how the platform checks users’ ages. The probe follows criticism from a regulator review in May that TikTok was not “safe enough” for children, and it comes after the UK government announced plans for a ban on under-16s from a range of platforms.
Under the investigation, Ofcom will examine TikTok’s systems for identifying whether a user is a child and whether they are adequate to stop minors from viewing harmful material. The regulator is particularly looking at TikTok’s use of “age inference,” which estimates a user’s age based on behavior such as the videos watched and interactions on the app.
Ofcom says it requires platforms to use “highly effective” methods to ensure users are old enough, and the regulator’s group director for strategy and research told the BBC that it has “serious doubts” about whether age inference tools can work well enough. TikTok said it is confident it meets its Online Safety Act obligations and will work with Ofcom to show compliance.
The investigation is part of broader UK enforcement aimed at improving children’s online safety, including pressure on sites that fail to block access to adult content such as pornography. Ofcom referenced its wider clampdown, including actions and large fines against adult sites over suspected or proven non-compliance with children protection rules.