UK’s online safety watchdog investigates TikTok’s ‘age inference’ system

• Ofcom has launched an investigation into TikTok over concerns about children's exposure to harmful content.
• The inquiry focuses on TikTok's “age inference” system, which the regulator questions as an effective method for verifying user age.
• Ofcom also warned that children can easily find pornography sites without adequate age checks via search engines, despite rules being in force for almost a year.
• Around a quarter of the UK's most popular pornography services still lack age verification, and search results from Google and Bing often lead to these sites.
• The watchdog has fined providers of 24 pornography sites over £4 million for non-compliance and is urging tech companies and search engines to implement stronger age assurance measures.

IN FULL

TikTok under Ofcom investigation over child safety concerns