Full Breakdown
Ofcom Opens Formal Probe into TikTok’s Child-Safety Measures
7/16/2026, 9:52:03 PM
Core Event
The UK communications regulator Ofcom has launched a formal investigation into TikTok to determine whether the platform’s age-verification and content-safety systems comply with the Online Safety Act. The probe focuses on TikTok’s use of “age inference” technology and its ability to keep users under 16 from accessing harmful material. Ofcom’s inquiry follows a May 2024 review that criticised the platform’s safeguards and comes a month after the government announced plans to ban under-16s from a range of social-media services.
Background & Context
The Online Safety Act, enacted in October 2023, obliges digital services to employ “highly effective” age-checks and to block children from harmful content such as self-harm, disordered-eating and pornography. In May 2024 Ofcom concluded TikTok was “not safe enough” for children and called for stronger action across the industry. The upcoming statutory ban on under-16s heightens scrutiny of any platform that cannot reliably verify age.
Data & Statistics
- TikTok ranks as the third-most-used app among 8- to 14-year-olds in the UK, after YouTube and WhatsApp.
- Children spend an average of 8 hours 45 minutes per week on video-sharing platforms, including TikTok, YouTube, Twitch and DailyMotion.
- Ofcom research found about one in ten teenagers aged 15-17 continued to use the three most popular dating apps in December 2025 despite age-check requirements.
- Search-engine analysis showed 33 % of Google and 54 % of Bing first-page results directed users to pornography sites lacking age checks; roughly a quarter of the UK’s most popular porn services had no checks at all.
Official Statements & Responses
Ofcom said the investigation will assess whether TikTok has “reasonable grounds to believe” it is failing to meet its legal duties, noting that non-compliance could trigger fines up to £18 million or 10 % of worldwide revenue, whichever is greater, and possible site blocking. Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom’s chief executive, stressed that age checks are a “cornerstone of the UK’s online safety laws” and urged tech firms to improve their systems.
TikTok maintains that it “strictly enforces age-appropriate experiences through expert-informed platform rules and advanced age inference technologies, in line with major industry peers.” A company spokesperson added that TikTok has invested “billions” in safety since launching in the UK eight years ago and is “confident that we meet our Online Safety Act obligations.”
Criticism & Opposition
Andy Burrows, chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, welcomed the probe, describing TikTok’s failures as “egregious” and calling for the platform to “clean up its toxic algorithms.” Rebecca Smart, a criminal lawyer and online-safety expert, warned that the current enforcement regime may lack sufficient deterrence to drive full compliance. Kate Davies, Ofcom’s group director for strategy and research, reiterated “very serious questions” about the reliability of age-inference methods.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
TikTok asserts that users who enter a birthdate indicating they are under 13 cannot create accounts, yet Ofcom’s findings suggest many under-16s still access the service. Additionally, while the Online Safety Act mandates age checks for porn-hosting sites, it does not require search engines to apply “highly effective” age assurance, leaving a loophole that Ofcom is now addressing separately.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We have very serious questions about whether age inference can be highly effective.” — Kate Davies, Ofcom Group Director for Strategy and Research
- “This investigation will seek to establish whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that TikTok has failed, or is failing, to comply with its legal obligations … including by using age assurance that is highly effective at correctly determining whether or not a particular user is a child.” — Ofcom statement
- “We’re confident that we meet our Online Safety Act obligations and will work with Ofcom to demonstrate it.” — TikTok spokesperson
- “We strictly enforce age-appropriate experiences through expert-informed platform rules and advanced age inference technologies, in line with major industry peers.” — TikTok spokesperson
- “When implemented properly, our evidence shows that age checks are helping to create a safer life online for children in the UK.” — Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom Chief Executive
What’s Next
If Ofcom concludes TikTok has breached the Online Safety Act, the regulator can impose fines up to £18 million or 10 % of global revenue and may seek court orders to block the service in the UK. The government’s under-16 ban is slated for early 2025, meaning TikTok must demonstrate robust age-verification before the restriction takes effect. Simultaneously, Ofcom is pressing Google and Microsoft to redesign search results to reduce children’s exposure to unchecked pornographic sites.
