Ofcom Investigation Targets TikTok's Age Verification and Child Safety Compliance in UK

Britain's media regulator, Ofcom, has opened a formal investigation into TikTok's UK operations to determine whether the platform has failed to protect children from harmful online content. The probe comes under the country's Online Safety Act and focuses on how the company identifies and safeguards underage users, as reported by multiple outlets including the New Straits Times and storyboard18.

New Straits TimesUK regulator to probe TikTok on child safety measures

"serious doubts" about TikTok's ability to determine when a person is under 18.

DeadlineOfcom Investigates TikTok Over Failure to Identify Underage Users, Risking Children's Exposure to Harmful Content

Ofcom said it will examine whether TikTok has robust systems to identify child users and whether it has implemented effective safeguards to stop minors from being exposed to content that could pose a risk to their wellbeing, according to storyboard18.

The investigation follows a review by Ofcom in May that criticized the platform for not doing enough to protect children. The regulator found that TikTok had not set out meaningful steps to protect children in the UK from harmful online content, as Tech in Asia reported.

Tech in AsiaTikTok faces UK probe over child safety checks

"not being 'safe enough'" for children.

BBC NewsOfcom launches investigation into TikTok child safety concerns

Ofcom's action coincides with the publication of its first Age Assurance Report and comes ahead of an upcoming ban on TikTok for kids and teens, according to Deadline. The UK government recently announced stricter rules for younger users, including a broad social media clampdown, adding to the regulatory pressure on platforms like TikTok, as storyboard18 noted.