UK Regulators Investigate TikTok Over Children's Data Privacy Practices
The UK's data privacy watchdog launches a formal investigation into TikTok to determine if the popular video app violates European data protection laws for minors. The probe follows a record $5.7 million fine the company received in the US earlier this year.
The UK's data privacy regulator launches an investigation into how TikTok handles children's personal data and keeps young users safe on its platform. Information commissioner Elizabeth Denham confirms that the probe examines whether the fast-growing video-sharing app breaks European data protection laws. Investigators also express serious concern over TikTok's open messaging system, which allows any adult to directly communicate with any child on the platform.
This European investigation follows a massive penalty in the United States, where TikTok receives a record $5.7 million fine from the Federal Trade Commission in February. The US regulator punishes the company for illegally collecting personal information from users under the age of 13 without obtaining proper parental consent. Additionally, a recent BBC investigation reveals that children are spending hundreds of dollars on "digital gifts" during live streams, raising further questions about the app's financial safeguards for minors.
These ongoing regulatory actions highlight growing scrutiny over the internet's standard age of consent, which currently sits at 13 years old due to a US law passed in 1998. Child development experts and parents increasingly argue that this decades-old legislation is out of date and fails to protect modern digital natives. As TikTok continues to boast roughly 500 million monthly active users, global authorities demand stricter measures to shield children from data exploitation and inappropriate online interactions.