TikTok drops appeal against UK fine for failing to keep underage users off platform
TikTok will pay a £12.7 million UK data protection fine after dropping its appeal against a ruling that it failed to do enough to prevent children under 13 from using the platform.
TikTok will pay a £12.7 million fine to the UK's data watchdog after dropping an appeal against a ruling that it failed to do enough to prevent children under 13 from using its platform.
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) fined the video-sharing app in 2023 after finding that TikTok had inadequate systems for checking users' ages and failed to remove children who were too young to use the service.
The ICO said up to 1.75 million UK children under 13 had been using TikTok in 2020, despite the platform having a minimum age requirement of 13.
The regulator also found that TikTok failed to provide users with sufficient information about how their personal data was collected and used, and did not obtain parental consent where required.
Emily Keaney, the ICO's deputy commissioner, said the action showed the importance of companies putting appropriate protections in place.
She said: "Our successful action against TikTok shows how important it is for companies to have the right protections in place, including to prevent access by children who are not old enough to be using their services."
TikTok said it disagreed with the ICO's findings but had decided to pay the fine because it related to activity between 2018 and 2020.
The Chinese-owned company said it had introduced "many youth safety measures and policies" since then.
TikTok now has more than 30 million users in the UK.
The company has also withdrawn an appeal against an ICO request for information about how its recommendation algorithm processes teenagers' personal data and serves potentially harmful content.
The ICO said it would now resume its investigation into those issues.
The case comes as the UK prepares to introduce a new minimum age of 16 for accessing social media platforms next year. Age verification and enforcement are expected to play a central role in implementing the restrictions.
Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, has said "more action from the tech industry is needed" to enforce existing age limits before the new rules take effect.
Australia introduced a similar social media restriction for under-16s last December.
Its eSafety commissioner has said a "substantial proportion" of children below the age limit have retained accounts, created new ones or found ways around age-verification systems.
The TikTok case therefore highlights the continuing challenge for regulators and technology companies of reliably identifying underage users online.
