TikTok faces a formal investigation by Ofcom, the UK's online regulator, over concerns that its methods for checking users' ages are not strong enough to protect children from harmful content. The probe, announced on 16 July 2026, comes a month after the government said it would ban under-16s from a range of social media platforms next year. At the heart of the investigation is TikTok's use of "age inference" technology – a system that estimates a user's age based on their behaviour on the app, such as the videos they watch or the accounts they interact with.
The Online Safety Act, which came into effect in July 2025, requires platforms that host user-generated content to use "highly effective" age assurance to prevent children from seeing material like pornography, self-harm content, or posts about disordered eating. In May 2026, Ofcom reviewed TikTok and found it was not "safe enough" for children. Now, the regulator has opened a formal investigation to determine whether TikTok has failed to comply with its legal duties, including using age checks that are "highly effective at correctly determining whether or not a particular user is a child".
“Ofcom investigates TikTok's age checks for child safety under UK law.”
Ofcom's group director for strategy, Kate Davies, told the BBC that the regulator has "serious doubts" about whether age inference can meet that standard. "We found that some methods of age checks being used by social media are not working well enough," she said. TikTok, however, insists that it meets its obligations. A spokesperson said the company has invested "billions" in online safety since launching in the UK eight years ago, and that it "strictly enforces age-appropriate experiences through expert-informed platform rules and advanced age inference technologies, in line with major industry peers."
TikTok is not alone in using age inference; Instagram also deploys similar technology. But Ofcom's investigation signals a wider crackdown on social media platforms, following action against dozens of adult sites that were fined or blocked for non-compliance with the Online Safety Act. The regulator's concern is that if age inference wrongly identifies a significant proportion of children, they could be exposed to harmful content. The government's planned social media ban for under-16s, expected early next year, will only increase the pressure on platforms to get age checks right.
Q: What is age inference and why is it controversial? Age inference is a technology that estimates a user's age by analysing their online behaviour, such as the videos they watch or who they interact with. Ofcom has questioned whether it can be "highly effective" at correctly identifying children, as required by the Online Safety Act. The regulator worries that a significant number of children may slip through the net.
Q: What penalties could TikTok face if found in breach? Ofcom can fine companies up to £18 million or 10% of their qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater. In the most serious cases, it can also apply to have sites blocked or restricted in the UK.
Q: How does the planned under-16 social media ban affect this?nThe UK government announced in June 2026 that it will ban under-16s from a range of social media platforms, with measures expected to come into force early next year. This adds urgency to the need for effective age checks, as platforms will need to reliably identify and exclude younger users.
What happens next? Ofcom's investigation will examine whether TikTok has failed to comply with its child safety obligations under the Online Safety Act. No conclusions have been reached yet. If TikTok is found in breach, it could face substantial fines. The regulator is also likely to scrutinise how other social media platforms handle age assurance, as the government prepares to implement the under-16 ban.