The UK’s data protection authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), is launching an investigation into TikTok, scrutinising whether the platform’s algorithms are exposing children to inappropriate or harmful content.
The move comes amid growing concerns about how social media platforms handle data generated by children’s online activity.
The ICO’s investigation will extend beyond TikTok, with Reddit and Imgur also under the microscope.
The probe will focus on how TikTok uses personal data from users aged 13 to 17 to tailor content recommendations, while also examining the age verification measures employed by Reddit and Imgur, which are used to personalise the user experience.
Earlier this year, TikTok faced a 45-day suspension in the US, imposed by then-President Donald Trump, due to fears that the Chinese government could access user data.
TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese social media and gaming company.
Peter Kyle, the UK’s technology minister, expressed concerns about TikTok’s data practices, linking them to its ownership model.
In January, he remarked to The Guardian: “I am genuinely concerned about the ownership model of TikTok. I’m genuinely concerned about their use of data, linked to the ownership model.”
In 2021, the ICO introduced a Children’s Code for online privacy, which mandates that companies take steps to protect children’s personal information on digital platforms.
John Edwards, the Information Commissioner, emphasised that the investigation would seek to identify positive safety measures across the platforms, but stressed the need to ensure their processes are robust enough to protect children.
Edwards stated: “I will expect to find that there will be many benign and positive uses of children’s data in their recommender systems. What I am concerned about is whether they are sufficiently robust to prevent children being exposed to harm, either from addictive practices or harmful content.”
The ICO’s investigation will assess whether there have been any breaches of data protection regulations. Should any evidence of potential violations be uncovered, the regulator will seek responses from the platforms before making a final decision.
Edwards clarified that the investigation is not focused solely on TikTok, but rather aims to understand the broader social media landscape.
He explained, “We’ve got to choose one – we can’t spread ourselves too thinly. The selection was made based on the direction of growth in relation to young users, market dominance, and potential for harm.”
The investigation also aims to explore the underlying technology used across digital platforms, such as X, Instagram’s Reels, and Snapchat, which employ similar techniques to capture user attention.
