Ofcom launches an investigation into child safety regarding TikTok.

      Ofcom has initiated a formal investigation to determine if TikTok is adequately protecting children from harmful content, marking an escalation in an ongoing public dispute that began in May. The investigation, announced on Thursday, focuses on two key aspects under the Online Safety Act: whether TikTok has sufficient measures to identify child users and whether it possesses the systems and processes to prevent children from encountering harmful content after identifying them.

      Ofcom stated that some of TikTok's age-check systems may have missed a considerable number of children in their assessments. However, launching an investigation does not imply any findings; Ofcom has explicitly indicated that it has not reached a conclusion regarding whether TikTok has violated its obligations, and the company will have an opportunity to respond before any decisions are made.

      The regulator has taken similar actions against Telegram, X, and Grok, and has initiated investigations into nearly 100 services since the Act came into effect. If Ofcom identifies failures, the potential penalties are significant, with the Act permitting fines of up to £18 million or 10% of qualifying global revenue, whichever is higher, making the percentage particularly impactful for a company of ByteDance’s size.

      This investigation comes on the heels of Ofcom's previous warnings to TikTok. In May, the regulator stated that neither TikTok nor YouTube had sufficiently explained how they would ensure the safety of personalized feeds aimed at children, despite a request for clarification by the end of April. Ofcom noted that neither company had committed to any substantial changes in response to its specific demands, insisting that their feeds were already safe.

      At that time, Melanie Dawes, Ofcom’s chief executive, expressed strong concerns. “We remain deeply worried that despite clear evidence of harm, companies continue to neglect taking the necessary measures to keep underage children off their platforms and to enhance the safety of their feeds,” she stated. “We are committed to pushing for further changes, utilizing our full range of powers and influence.”

      The evidence cited by Dawes derives from Ofcom's own research. Its online safety tracker for children revealed that approximately 70% of children aged 11 to 17 had come across harmful content online, a figure that has remained largely unchanged since the safety duties were implemented in July 2025. Personalized feeds were still the most common source of exposure, mentioned by 35% of respondents compared to 37% previously. Additionally, 90% of children aged eight to 12 were utilizing platforms with a minimum age requirement of 13.

      TikTok has contested this characterization. “It’s very disappointing that Ofcom has not acknowledged both our long-established and newer safety features, such as the prohibition of direct messaging for users under 16, preset private accounts for teens, and our recently enhanced age verification technologies,” a spokesperson stated in May, adding that the company will “continue investing in safety measures.” TikTok has also implemented features that limit the amount of time teenagers can spend on the app.

      In contrast to its competitors, TikTok did not offer certain safety measures in May. Snapchat agreed to block adult strangers from contacting children by default and to implement age checks for all users, while Roblox committed to allowing parents to disable direct messaging for users under 16 following ongoing criticism of its child safety performance. Meta announced it would utilize AI to identify sexualized conversations between adults and teens in Instagram direct messages, while TikTok and YouTube referred to their existing features.

      This investigation also coincides with a changing legal landscape. In June, the government passed legislation to prohibit social media access for users under 16, which is set to take effect in spring 2027 and will apply to TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and X. If this timeline holds, much of what Ofcom is currently investigating may become irrelevant before the investigation concludes.

      Ofcom has previously penalized TikTok, imposing a fine of £1.875 million in July 2024 for submitting inaccurate data related to its Family Pairing parental controls and for being slow to report the error; the regulator attributed these shortcomings to weak data governance rather than child safety issues.

      Now, TikTok is subject to a formal procedure rather than just receiving a letter. Ofcom will collect evidence, share its preliminary findings with the company, and make a decision, with no statutory timeline for any of these steps.