TikTok facing UK investigation amid fears over age checks and harm to children
UK media regulator Ofcom has opened a formal investigation into TikTok over concerns that its age verification measures are ineffective, potentially leaving children exposed to content about suicide, self-harm, and pornography. The probe comes roughly a year after child protection requirements under the Online Safety Act took effect.
Why this matters: TikTok has had years to figure out how to keep children away from the worst content on its platform. Ofcom is saying the age checks still do not work. That means kids are getting through, and the content waiting for them includes material on suicide and self-harm. This is not a paperwork problem. It is a question of whether a company with hundreds of millions of users actually built protections that function, or just described them. The Online Safety Act was supposed to have teeth. This investigation tests whether it does.
Who should care: Cybersecurity · Privacy officers · Administrators · Lawyers · Compliance
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