We found that TikTok breached the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) between May 2018 and July 2020 by: They did not do enough to check who was using their platform or take sufficient action to remove the underage children that were using their platform.” Our £12.7m fine reflects the serious impact their failures may have had.

That means that their data may have been used to track them and profile them, potentially delivering harmful, inappropriate content at their very next scroll. “As a consequence, an estimated one million under 13s were inappropriately granted access to the platform, with TikTok collecting and using their personal data.

John Edwards, Information Commissioner, said: “There are laws in place to make sure our children are as safe in the digital world as they are in the physical world. In the ICO’s view TikTok did not respond adequately. Our investigation found that a concern was raised internally with some senior employees about children under 13 using the platform and not being removed. TikTok also failed to carry out adequate checks to identify and remove underage children from its platform.

TikTok failed to do that, even though it ought to have been aware that under 13s were using its platform. UK data protection law says that organisations that use personal data when offering information society services to children under 13 must have consent from their parents or carers. We have estimated that TikTok allowed up to 1.4 million UK children under 13 to use its platform in 2020, despite its own rules not allowing children that age to create an account. NEW: We have fined TikTok £12.7 million for misusing children’s data.

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