UK Regulator Investigates TikTok Over Child Safety Measures

LONDON: (Web Desk) – Britain’s communications regulator Ofcom has launched an investigation into whether TikTok is doing enough to protect children from harmful online content under the country’s Online Safety Act.

Ofcom said the inquiry will examine whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that TikTok has failed or is failing to meet its legal responsibilities, with particular attention being given to the platform’s age verification system.

TikTok, owned by China-based company ByteDance, said it was confident that it complies with the requirements of the UK’s Online Safety Act, which introduced stricter rules for protecting children online.

A TikTok spokesperson said the platform enforces age-appropriate experiences through safety policies developed with experts and uses advanced age estimation technologies in line with industry standards.

However, Ofcom’s Director for Strategy and Research Kate Davies said the regulator had concerns about age inference systems, where platforms estimate users’ ages based on their online activity. She said this method is not considered an effective age-checking approach under Ofcom’s guidance.

The Online Safety Act requires technology companies to prevent children from accessing harmful material, including content related to suicide, self-harm, eating disorders and pornography.

The law also requires platforms to take action against misogynistic, violent, hateful or abusive content, online bullying and dangerous challenges targeting young users.

Companies that fail to comply with the regulations could face penalties of up to £18 million or 10 percent of their global revenue.

Alongside its TikTok investigation, Ofcom warned that children can still easily access pornography websites through search engines, particularly platforms that do not have effective age verification measures.

The regulator said Google Search and Microsoft Bing are working with Ofcom to develop practical solutions to prevent users from finding pornography websites without age checks.

Under the Online Safety Act, websites and applications providing access to pornography in the UK are required to implement age verification systems to prevent children from viewing harmful content.