U.K. Regulator Ofcom Probes TikTok Over Child Safety Measures

Britain’s media regulator Ofcom has opened an investigation into TikTok to assess whether the platform’s UK operations have failed or are failing to protect children from harmful online content.

The investigation will examine whether TikTok has effective measures to identify child users and whether it has adequate systems to prevent children from viewing harmful material. Ofcom said the inquiry follows concerns raised in May that TikTok had not outlined meaningful steps to protect children in the UK from harmful content. The regulator clarified that opening the investigation does not mean it has concluded that TikTok has breached its duties under the Online Safety Act. TikTok said it denies any breach of its obligations. The company stated that it enforces age-appropriate experiences through platform rules and age inference technologies, and that it will cooperate with Ofcom during the investigation.

The probe comes after the UK government imposed restrictions on social media, gaming, and live-streaming platforms for users under 16.