The UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has initiated investigations into social media platforms TikTok, Reddit, and Imgur regarding their management of children's personal data.
The ICO will assess how these platforms manage the personal information of children in the UK.
The focus will be on TikTok's use of data from 13 to 17-year-olds for content recommendations, amid concerns about potential exposure to inappropriate content.
The investigations into Imgur and Reddit will examine their use of UK children's personal information and the effectiveness of their age assurance measures.
These investigations are part of the ICO's broader efforts to ensure digital services are designed to protect children.
The ICO aims to determine if there have been any violations of data protection laws. If evidence of legal breaches is found, the companies will be asked to respond before a final decision is made.
UK Information Commissioner John Edwards said: “If social media and video sharing platforms want to benefit from operating in the UK they must comply with data protection law.
“The responsibility to keep children safe online lies firmly at the door of the companies offering these services and my office is steadfast in its commitment to hold them to account.
“In announcing these investigations, we are making it clear to the public what action we are currently taking to ensure children’s information rights are upheld. This is a priority area, and we will provide updates about any further action we decide to take”.
The ICO has been instrumental in driving changes in children's online privacy since the introduction of the Children's Code in 2021.
Recent interventions have led to significant changes, such as X stopping adverts for users under 18 years old and improving transparency materials for young users.
The ICO has published a progress update on its Children's Code strategy, highlighting key interventions and comparing privacy practices across 29 platforms.
In December 2024, Albania announced a one-year ban on TikTok following the killing of a teenager, which has raised concerns about the influence of social media on children.
"UK investigates children’s data use on TikTok, Reddit" was originally created and published by Verdict , a GlobalData owned brand.
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