Ofcom launches investigation into TikTok child safety measures
Britain's media regulator Ofcom launched an investigation into TikTok on 16 July 2026 to assess whether the platform adequately protects children from harmful content, focusing on the effectiveness of its age inference technology for identifying and restricting access by minors.
What happened
On 16 July 2026, Britain's media regulator Ofcom launched a probe into TikTok to determine whether the platform is adequately protecting UK children from harmful content.
The investigation examines whether TikTok has adequate methods to assess if a user is a child and effective systems to prevent children from viewing harmful material. The probe focuses on TikTok's use of 'age inference' technology, which estimates user age based on how they use the platform, such as the videos they watch or interact with. Ofcom stated it has 'serious doubts' over whether such tools are effective enough at checking user age.
Reported impact
Ofcom's probe follows a May 2026 review in which the regulator criticized TikTok for not being 'safe enough' for children and called for stronger action on children's online safety. This investigation is part of a broader regulatory clampdown on sites failing to prevent children from encountering adult content and other harmful material.
Index analysis
The investigation addresses whether TikTok's age inference systems meet regulatory requirements under the Online Safety Act's protection of children's codes, which took effect on 25 July 2025. The regulator requires social media platforms to use 'highly effective' methods to verify users are old enough and prevent children from seeing harmful material.
Governance controls
TikTok stated that it strictly enforces age-appropriate experiences through platform rules and advanced age inference technologies in line with industry peers, and that it has invested billions in online safety since launching in the UK eight years ago.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.