TikTok is perpetuating significant harm to the welfare and wellbeing of young children.
This week, it was announced by the UK’s data protection authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), that they were handing down a £12.7 million fine to TikTok for significant breaches of data protection law. It is one of the largest fines to have ever been imposed by the body.
The fact that there are children aged 13 and under may have been exposed to this material is beyond terrifying
Having conducted a thorough investigation into TikTok, the ICO found that in 2020, up to 1.4 million UK children under the age of 13 were accessing and using its platform.
The ICO found that personal data belonging to these children was used without parental consent. They also found that TikTok failed to adequately check who was using their platform and take sufficient action to remove underage children, even though they should have been aware that this was taking place.
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