Ofcom investigates TikTok age assurance under UK’s Online Safety Act
TikTok age assurance faces scrutiny after reports raised concerns about children being incorrectly identified.
Ofcom has opened an investigation into TikTok age assurance and the platform’s compliance with child safety duties under the UK’s Online Safety Act.
The investigation will examine whether TikTok uses proportionate systems and processes to prevent children from encountering content classified as harmful under the Act.
Since 25 July 2025, user-to-user services likely to be accessed by children have been required to prevent minors from encountering primary priority content harmful to children. Platforms must also protect different age groups from other forms of harmful material.
Where primary priority content is available, providers must use age-assurance systems that are highly effective at determining whether a user is a child, unless the content is prohibited for all users under the platform’s terms of service.
Ofcom said the investigation follows its review of measures adopted by major platforms and findings from its report on children’s online experiences, which raised concerns about minors encountering harmful content on TikTok.
A separate report on age assurance also suggested that age-estimation models, including those used by TikTok, may have failed to identify a significant proportion of children correctly.
The regulator will assess whether TikTok’s age-assurance measures meet the legal standard of being ‘highly effective’ and whether any shortcomings may have left children exposed to harmful content.
The regulator stressed that opening the investigation does not mean it has concluded that TikTok breached the law. Its first step will be to use formal information-gathering powers to collect and analyse evidence.
TikTok may choose to follow Ofcom’s Protection of Children Codes of Practice or adopt alternative measures. However, any alternative approach must still satisfy the platform’s legal obligations under the Online Safety Act.
If Ofcom identifies failures involving TikTok age assurance or other child protection systems, it could impose a fine of up to £18 million or 10% of qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater.
In the most serious cases, Ofcom can seek a court order requiring third parties, including payment providers, advertisers and internet service providers, to withdraw services from or block access to a platform in UK.
The investigation is expected to take at least three months, with Ofcom planning to publish an update in October 2026.
Why does it matter?
The investigation will provide an early test of how rigorously Ofcom enforces the Online Safety Act’s child protection duties against major platforms. Its outcome could help define what constitutes ‘highly effective’ age assurance and shape industry expectations for protecting minors online.
The case also reflects a broader shift towards holding platforms accountable not only for removing harmful content but for demonstrating that their safety systems work in practice. Any enforcement action is likely to influence how other online services approach age verification and child safety compliance in the UK.
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