TikTok is set to pay a £12.7m fine to the UK's data watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), after withdrawing its appeal against a ruling. The ruling stated that the video app did not do enough to prevent children under 13 from accessing its platform.
The ICO initially punished TikTok in 2023 for inadequate checks on users and failing to remove underage individuals. The watchdog highlighted that TikTok had done "very little, if anything" to address the issue of underage use, despite having a minimum user age of 13.
The ICO reported that the failure to enforce this age limit resulted in an estimated 1.75 million UK children under 13 using the service in 2020. TikTok also reportedly failed to inform users about data collection and usage, and did not obtain parental consent.
Emily Keaney, the ICO’s deputy commissioner, emphasised the importance of companies having proper protections, including those to prevent access by children who are not old enough to use their services. Chinese-owned TikTok stated that while it still disagreed with the ruling, it decided to pay the fine as it related to a period between 2018 and 2020, after which it claims to have implemented "many youth safety measures and policies."
Additionally, TikTok has withdrawn an appeal against an ICO request for information regarding how its algorithm processes teenagers’ personal data and serves potentially harmful content. The ICO has confirmed it will now resume this investigation.