TikTok drops appeal against £12.7m fine for not keeping under-13s off platform

The UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has fined video app TikTok £12.7 million for failing to enforce a minimum age limit and remove underage users from the platform. The decision overturns TikTok's appeal against a 2023 ruling.

TikTok, owned by a Chinese company, was previously fined by the ICO for inadequate checks on age verification and not removing underage users. The watchdog found that up to 1.75 million UK children under the age of 13 used the platform in 2020, despite the minimum user age being 13.

The ICO's deputy commissioner, Emily Keaney, stated that the fine highlighted the importance of companies having proper safeguards in place, including preventing access by children unsuitable to use their services.

The Chinese-owned company expressed disagreement with the ruling but decided to pay the fine, citing that it pertained to a period between 2018 and 2020 when it had implemented numerous youth safety measures and policies. TikTok has also withdrawn its appeal against an ICO request for information about its algorithm's processing of teenagers' personal data and the potential for serving harmful content.

The ICO will now resume its investigation into TikTok's practices. The fine comes as the UK government prepares to introduce a new under-16 age limit for accessing social media platforms next year. The UK's communications regulator, Ofcom, has called for "more action from the tech industry" in enforcing age limits as the ban approaches.

In Australia, which implemented a social media ban for under-16s last December, the eSafety Commissioner noted that a "substantial proportion" of under-16s in the country have kept their accounts, created new ones, or bypassed age-gating systems.