UK probes how TikTok, Reddit, and Imgur protect child privacy

The U.K.’s privacy watchdog has launched investigations into three social media companies over how they go about protecting the privacy of children on their respective platforms.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) announced today that it’s looking into how TikTok uses personal information of 13- to 17-year-olds to recommend videos, “in light of growing concerns” around how young people are presented with harmful content.

At the same time, the ICO is also looking into how Reddit and Imgur assess the age of its users in the U.K., as well as how they use children’s personal information.

While it’s still early days, the ICO says that it’s looking at whether there have been any data protection legislation infringements before deciding its next steps.

The probes form part of a broader push from U.K. authorities to bring social platforms into check. Last year, regulator Ofcom launched an investigation into OnlyFans over alleged age-verification failures, though it dropped this probe last month. And back in 2023, the ICO fined TikTok $16 million for providing services to children under the age of 13 without explicit parental consent to process their data.