TikTok is facing a formal investigation by the UK's media regulator, Ofcom, over concerns that its methods for checking users' ages are not working well enough, potentially leaving children exposed to harmful content such as posts about suicide, self-harm, disordered eating and pornography. The probe, announced on 16 July 2026, comes just a month after the UK government confirmed it will ban under-16s from a range of social media platforms early next year.
At its simplest, the investigation is about whether TikTok's "age inference" technology — which estimates a user's age based on how they use the app, including the videos they watch and the accounts they interact with — meets the legal requirement to be "highly effective" at identifying child users. Ofcom has said it has "serious doubts" about the reliability of such tools. TikTok insists it meets its obligations under the Online Safety Act (OSA) and says it has invested "billions" in online safety since launching in the UK eight years ago.
“Explains Ofcom's investigation into TikTok's age checks, the Online Safety Act, and what it means for UK users.”
The background to this investigation is the Online Safety Act, whose children's protection codes took effect on 25 July 2025. The law requires platforms that host user-generated content or allow direct messaging to use highly effective age assurance to prevent children from seeing harmful material. In May 2026, Ofcom reviewed TikTok and found it was "not safe enough" for children, calling for stronger action. Since then, the regulator has already issued large fines against dozens of adult sites for non-compliance. Ofcom's group director for strategy and research, Kate Davies, told the BBC that some age-check methods used by social media are "not working well enough." TikTok uses date-of-birth entry at sign-up and then deploys age inference to check for indicators that someone may be below the minimum age. But Ofcom worries this is letting a "significant proportion of children" slip through.
For UK readers, this matters because it directly affects how millions of people — especially teenagers and parents — experience social media. TikTok is one of the most popular apps among young people in the UK. If age inference is found to be inadequate, the platform could face fines of up to £18m or 10% of its qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater. In the most serious cases, Ofcom can apply to have sites blocked or restricted in the UK. The government's planned under-16 social media ban, expected to come into force early 2027, will put even more pressure on all platforms to get age checks right. Separately, a recent Ofcom report found that even when age checks are in place, some children bypass them using search engines — 33% of first-page Google results for pornographic content lead to sites without age verification, rising to 54% on Bing.
Q: What is age inference and why is Ofcom concerned about it? Age inference is a technology that estimates a user's age based on their behaviour on a platform — for example, the videos they watch, the accounts they follow, or their interactions. Ofcom has "serious doubts" that this method can be "highly effective" as required by the Online Safety Act, and fears it is failing to identify a significant proportion of children.
Q: What penalties could TikTok face if it is found to have broken the rules? Ofcom can impose fines of up to £18m or 10% of TikTok's qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater. In the most serious cases, the regulator can also apply to have the platform blocked or restricted in the UK.
Q: How does the government's planned under-16 social media ban relate to this investigation? The government confirmed in June 2026 that it will ban under-16s from a range of social media platforms, with the measure expected to take effect early 2027. This investigation into TikTok's age checks is a direct precursor to that ban, as effective age verification will be essential to enforce it.
What happens next depends on Ofcom's investigation. No conclusions have been reached yet; TikTok has said it is "confident" of its compliance and will work with the regulator to demonstrate it. Ofcom will examine whether TikTok's age assurance systems are highly effective at correctly determining whether a user is a child. The outcome could set a precedent for how other social media platforms must verify ages in the UK, especially as the under-16 ban draws closer.