In a move to clamp down on underage users, social media giant TikTok has announced the rollout of enhanced age verification checks across Europe. The platform’s new technology will use “on-platform behaviour” to “predict” whether an account is owned by a child under 13, with flagged accounts then reviewed by human moderators who will decide whether to ban them.
The development comes amid growing pressure on the UK government to introduce an Australia-style social media ban for under-16s. A group of over 60 Labour MPs have written to Prime Minister Keir Starmer urging him to implement such a blanket prohibition, accusing successive governments of doing “too little to protect young people” from “unregulated, addictive social media platforms.”
While Starmer has not ruled out a ban, saying “we need to better protect children from social media” with “all options on the table,” some charities have warned that such measures could create a “false sense of safety” and drive young users to less regulated corners of the internet.
In a statement, TikTok said its new age-checking technology would be used in a “privacy-preserving manner,” with data only employed to determine whether an account should be flagged for human review. The company added that it had “consulted extensively” with the Data Protection Commission to ensure compliance with Europe’s stringent data protection standards.
Users whose accounts are identified as potentially belonging to under-13s will be able to appeal the decision by providing measures such as facial age recognition, credit card authorisation or ID checks, TikTok said.
The social media firm emphasised its commitment to keeping children off the platform, providing age-appropriate experiences for teens, and continuing to “assess and implement a range of solutions” to uphold its “safety-by-design principles.”
The debate over how to best regulate young people’s use of social media shows no signs of abating, with both industry and policymakers grappling with the complexities of balancing online safety with individual freedoms. As the conversation continues, TikTok’s latest move represents one platform’s attempt to navigate these murky waters.
