The UK's media regulator, Ofcom, has initiated an investigation into TikTok concerning its child safety protocols. This probe follows a review in May that criticized the platform for not being sufficiently safe for children.
Ofcom will examine how TikTok verifies users' ages and the effectiveness of its systems in preventing minors from encountering harmful content. A central focus of the investigation is TikTok's use of "age inference," a technology that estimates a user's age based on their platform activity, such as the videos they watch and interact with.
"We have very serious questions about whether age inference can be highly effective," stated Kate Davies, Ofcom's group director for strategy and research. She added that the regulator has "serious doubts" about the adequacy of such tools for verifying user ages, as required by the Online Safety Act.
A spokesperson for TikTok expressed confidence in meeting the obligations set forth by the Online Safety Act and stated the company will collaborate with Ofcom to demonstrate compliance. The spokesperson also affirmed that TikTok strictly enforces age-appropriate experiences through platform rules and advanced age inference technologies, aligning with industry peers. The company has reportedly invested billions in online safety since its launch in the UK eight years ago.
The investigation comes a month after the UK government announced a ban on platforms for under-16s in certain contexts. Ofcom's previous review highlighted concerns that existing age verification methods employed by social media platforms are not functioning effectively enough.