{"id":372464,"date":"2026-07-16T04:40:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T11:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/tiktok-faces-formal-uk-probe-ofcom-examines-child-safety-and-age-checks\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T00:45:34","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T07:45:34","slug":"tiktok-faces-formal-uk-probe-ofcom-examines-child-safety-and-age-checks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/tiktok-faces-formal-uk-probe-ofcom-examines-child-safety-and-age-checks\/","title":{"rendered":"TikTok faces formal UK probe: Ofcom examines child safety and age checks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ofcom has opened a formal investigation into TikTok<\/a> in the UK, looking at whether the company is doing enough under the Online Safety Act to keep children away from harmful content.<\/p>\n\n\n

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A big part of the case comes down to age checks<\/strong>. Ofcom wants to know whether TikTok can reliably tell when a user is underage, because if it can’t, children may end up seeing material related to self-harm, suicide, and eating disorders. A lot of the attention is on TikTok’s age-verification system, especially age inference, which tries to estimate someone’s age from their behavior rather than checking it directly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ofcom has already signaled that age inference on its own may not be enough. The regulator’s view is that stronger age checks<\/strong> sit at the heart of the UK’s safety rules, especially on platforms that push recommended content to huge numbers of people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The communications regulator, Ofcom, has announced it is launching an investigation into the social media platform TikTok – to find out if it's complying with its duties to protect children from harmful content.

Kate Davies from Ofcom spoke to #BBCBreakfast<\/a>\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/Ql9Hf44UmX<\/a><\/p>— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) July 16, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote>