TikTok has agreed to strengthen its measures to keep children off its platform, following a Canadian investigation that found the social media giant’s efforts to block underage users and safeguard their personal data were not up to the mark, Canadian privacy officials said on Tuesday.
The joint investigation into TikTok by Canada’s privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne and privacy protection authorities in the provinces of Quebec, British Columbia, and Alberta found that hundreds of thousands of Canadian children accessed TikTok each year despite the company stating its platform is not intended for people under the age of 13.
Collecting Personal Information
The investigation also found that TikTok had been collecting and using their personal information.
“TikTok collects vast amounts of personal information about its users, including children. This data is being used to target the content and ads that users see, which can have harmful impacts, particularly on youth,” Dufresne said at a press conference announcing the investigation’s results.
TikTok has agreed to strengthen its age-verification systems to better prevent underage users from accessing the platform and to enhance its communication practices, ensuring that users — especially younger audiences — have a clearer understanding of how their personal data may be collected, used, and shared, Dufresne said.
TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Global Fears
Canada has joined a growing number of governments and regulatory bodies around the world that are closely scrutinising TikTok over concerns that the popular social media platform could be used by China to access sensitive user data or further its strategic interests. The app is owned by ByteDance Ltd., a Beijing-based technology company, raising fears among officials about potential foreign interference and data privacy risks, particularly given the platform’s vast user base and influence among younger audiences globally.
The European Union’s two biggest policy-making institutions have banned TikTok from staff phones, while the US Senate in December passed a bill to bar federal employees from using the app on government-owned devices.
(With inputs from Reuters)
