Ofcom Launches Investigation Into TikTok Age Verification Practices

Ofcom has launched an investigation into TikTok to determine if the platform’s age verification systems are “highly effective” at preventing children from accessing harmful content, as required by the UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA).

Ofcom Challenges Age Inference Technology

The investigation focuses on whether TikTok’s behavioral age estimation meets the legal threshold for effectiveness. Ofcom expressed “serious doubts” about the reliability of models that estimate age through behavior rather than formal verification, an Ofcom spokesperson told City AM.

The regulator stated that some companies may be failing to correctly identify significant numbers of children on their platforms. This failure, according to Ofcom, increases the risk that children will be exposed to harmful content.

While the watchdog allows companies to use methods other than those listed in its official guidance, it requires firms to provide “reliable and compelling evidence” that their chosen systems are highly effective.

TikTok’s Compliance Defense

TikTok has maintained that its safety measures are sufficient and consistent with other major industry players. A TikTok spokesperson told City AM that the company uses “expert-informed platform rules and advanced age inference technologies” to enforce age-appropriate experiences.

In the eight years since Tiktok launched in the UK, we have invested billions in platform safety. We are confident that we meet our Online Safety Act obligations and will work with Ofcom to demonstrate this. TikTok spokesperson via City AM

Ofcom clarified that the opening of the probe does not imply a breach has occurred. An Ofcom spokesperson told City AM that the investigation is at a “very early stage” and the regulator cannot prejudge the outcome.

Financial and Operational Risks of OSA Breaches

If the investigation concludes that TikTok breached its duties under the Online Safety Act, the company faces significant financial and operational penalties. Ofcom has the authority to impose fines of up to £18 million or 10 per cent of the company’s qualifying global revenue, whichever figure is higher.

In the most severe cases of ongoing non-compliance, the regulator can seek court orders to:

• Block access to the service within the UK.
• Cut off the platform’s advertising providers.
• Cut off payment providers.

Ofcom noted that business disruption measures, such as blocking the service, are reserved for the most serious instances of non-compliance.

Broader Regulatory Impact on Social Media

Legal analysts suggest this probe signals a shift from the guidance phase of the Online Safety Act to active enforcement. Joanna Ludlam, co-chair of Jenner & Block’s investigations practice, told City AM that any platform relying on inference-based checks rather than verification-based checks should view this as a “live compliance signal.”

The probe coincides with planned expansions of UK child protections.