TikTok to tighten age checks in Europe as regulators ramp up pressure

STOCKHOLM: TikTok will start rolling out new age-detection technology across Europe in the coming weeks, it told Reuters on Friday, as the ByteDance-owned platform faces regulatory pressure to better identify and remove accounts belonging to children under 13.

The previously unreported system follows a year-long pilot in Britain. It analyses profile information, posted videos and behavioural signals to predict whether an account may be underage. Accounts flagged by the technology will be reviewed by specialist moderators rather than automatically banned, TikTok said.

The rollout comes as European authorities scrutinise how platforms verify users’ ages under strict data-protection rules, amid concerns that current approaches are either ineffective or overly invasive.

Australia last year imposed the world’s first social media ban on children under 16, while the European Parliament is pushing for age limits on social media platforms. Denmark wants to ban social media for those under 15.

The UK pilot led to the removal of thousands of additional accounts under 13.

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REGULATORY CHALLENGE

Underscoring the tensions, a U.S. state judge in Delaware on Friday will hear TikTok’s bid to dismiss a lawsuit filed last year by the parents of five British children who died while allegedly performing prank and challenge videos.

The lawsuit alleged that TikTok’s algorithms promoted dangerous content to children, including a so-called “blackout challenge” that encouraged people to choke themselves.

“ByteDance harmed these children after its leadership knew that its programming decisions were resulting in the accidental deaths of children,” the lawsuit filed in the Delaware Superior Court said. Some of the children were below 13 years old.

“Our deepest sympathies remain with these families,” a TikTok spokesperson said. “We strictly prohibit content that promotes or encourages dangerous behaviour.”

TikTok in 2022 secured the dismissal of a separate lawsuit accusing it of causing the death of a 10-year-old girl.

BUILT FOR EUROPE

Despite extensive efforts, there is no globally agreed way to confirm a person’s age while preserving privacy, TikTok said. For appeals against bans, the company will use facial-age estimation from verification provider Yoti, along with credit-card checks and government-issued identification.

Meta also uses Yoti to verify users’ ages on Facebook.

TikTok said the new technology was built specifically for Europe to comply with the region’s regulatory requirements. The company has worked with Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, its lead EU privacy regulator, while developing the system.

European users will be notified as the technology launches, TikTok said.