British Regulators Probe TikTok's Child Safety Measures To Strengthen Online Protections

Britain's communications regulator, Ofcom, has launched an investigation into whether TikTok is complying with its legal obligations to protect children from harmful content under the UK's Online Safety Act. The probe will examine whether the social media platform's existing safety measures, particularly its age verification systems, are sufficient to prevent minors from accessing inappropriate material. In a statement issued on Thursday, Ofcom said the investigation would determine whether there are "reasonable grounds to believe" that TikTok has failed, or is failing, to meet its responsibilities under the law.

The regulator said a key focus of the inquiry would be TikTok's age verification model, which is intended to identify underage users and ensure they receive age-appropriate experiences on the platform. TikTok, owned by Chinese technology company ByteDance, said it was confident it complies with the requirements of the Online Safety Act, which came into force last year to strengthen protections for children online. A company spokesperson said TikTok strictly enforces age-appropriate experiences through platform rules developed with expert input and advanced age inference technologies, adding that its practices are in line with those of other major social media platforms.

However, Ofcom has expressed reservations about the effectiveness of age inference technology, which estimates a user's age based on their online behaviour rather than requiring formal identity verification. Speaking to BBC Radio, Ofcom's Director for Strategy and Research, Kate Davies, said the regulator does not consider age inference to be an effective standalone method for age checks. Her comments suggest regulators may seek more robust mechanisms to verify users' ages and prevent children from accessing harmful content.

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The Online Safety Act requires digital platforms to take proactive steps to shield children from content relating to suicide, self-harm, eating disorders and pornography. It also obliges companies to protect minors from misogynistic, violent, hateful or abusive material, cyberbullying, and dangerous online challenges that could pose risks to their safety. The legislation is regarded as one of the UK's most comprehensive attempts to increase accountability among technology companies for content hosted on their platforms.

Companies found to be in breach of the Online Safety Act can face significant financial penalties. Under the legislation, regulators have the authority to impose fines of up to £18 million (approximately $24 million) or 10 per cent of a company's global annual revenue, whichever is higher. The investigation into TikTok is expected to test how the new law is enforced and could have broader implications for other social media platforms operating in the UK if regulators determine that existing child safety measures fall short of legal requirements.

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