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Thu, 16 Jul 2026

Thu, 16 Jul 2026 TikTok faces Ofcom investigation over child age checks

It follows a review by the regulator in May that criticised the platform for not being "safe enough" for children.

* Ofcom has launched an investigation into whether TikTok is doing enough to keep children off its platform.
* The probe comes after a review by regulator in May criticized the platform for not being "safe enough" for children and called for stronger action on children's online safety.
* Ofcom will examine how TikTok assesses if a user is a child and whether it has adequate systems to prevent children from viewing harmful content.
* Ofcom requires social media platforms, including TikTok, to use "highly effective" methods to check users are old enough to use them and prevent children from seeing harmful material.
* A TikTok spokesperson said the company meets its Online Safety Act obligations and will work with Ofcom to demonstrate it.
* The regulator has "serious doubts" over whether age inference tools used by social media platforms, including TikTok, can be highly effective in checking the age of users.
* The investigation is part of a broader clampdown on sites failing to prevent children encountering adult content, such as pornography and other harmful material.