TikTok faces Ofcom investigation over child age checks
BBC News 2026-07-16 11:08:33
Context: The UK's media regulator, Ofcom, has launched an investigation into TikTok over its age checks for users, specifically examining whether the platform has adequate systems in place to prevent children from viewing harmful content. This probe comes amid growing concerns over children's online safety and follows a review by Ofcom in May that criticized TikTok for not being "safe enough" for children. The investigation will focus on TikTok's use of "age inference" technology, which estimates a user's age based on their activity on the platform.
Key Facts
- Ofcom's investigation into TikTok will examine the platform's use of "age inference" technology, which relies on estimating a user's age based on their activity, such as the videos they watch or others they interact with.
- The regulator has expressed "serious doubts" over whether age inference tools are effective enough at checking the age of users, and requires social media platforms to use "highly effective" methods to check users' ages and prevent children from seeing harmful material.
- TikTok has stated that it "strictly enforces age-appropriate experiences through expert-informed platform rules and advanced age inference technologies, in line with major industry peers," and has invested "billions" in online safety since launching in the UK eight years ago.
- The investigation is part of a broader clampdown on sites failing to prevent children encountering adult content, such as pornography, and other harmful material, with Ofcom having issued large fines against dozens of adult sites over suspected or proven non-compliance.
- Kate Davies, Ofcom's group director for strategy and research, has stated that the regulator has "very serious questions about whether age inference can be highly effective" in preventing children from accessing harmful content.