TikTok is ramping up its efforts to protect minors by strengthening age verification across Europe. In the coming weeks, the platform will deploy more advanced age-detection technology, designed to assess users' ages based on their profile information and online behavior.
When the system flags a potential underage user, it will be reviewed by human moderators who can then determine whether the account should be banned or not. Users in Europe will receive notifications explaining these new measures and will be given the opportunity to learn more about them.
The platform also allows users to report suspicious accounts that may belong to minors, and already removes around 6 million underage accounts from its platform every month.
In light of mounting calls to ban social media access for under-16s, TikTok's decision comes as a response to public pressure and growing concerns over the well-being of young people online. A similar ban is on the cards in the UK, with cross-party support and Prime Minister Keir Starmer hinting that "all options are on the table".
However, experts caution that no single solution can effectively confirm a person's age without compromising their privacy. TikTok acknowledges this challenge, stating that it will continue to explore multiple methods for age verification.
The company has drawn inspiration from its recent European pilot project, which successfully identified and removed thousands of underage accounts while ensuring compliance with EU data protection standards. The move is seen as part of a growing trend towards greater regulation and oversight of social media platforms in light of their increasing influence on the lives of young people.
When the system flags a potential underage user, it will be reviewed by human moderators who can then determine whether the account should be banned or not. Users in Europe will receive notifications explaining these new measures and will be given the opportunity to learn more about them.
The platform also allows users to report suspicious accounts that may belong to minors, and already removes around 6 million underage accounts from its platform every month.
In light of mounting calls to ban social media access for under-16s, TikTok's decision comes as a response to public pressure and growing concerns over the well-being of young people online. A similar ban is on the cards in the UK, with cross-party support and Prime Minister Keir Starmer hinting that "all options are on the table".
However, experts caution that no single solution can effectively confirm a person's age without compromising their privacy. TikTok acknowledges this challenge, stating that it will continue to explore multiple methods for age verification.
The company has drawn inspiration from its recent European pilot project, which successfully identified and removed thousands of underage accounts while ensuring compliance with EU data protection standards. The move is seen as part of a growing trend towards greater regulation and oversight of social media platforms in light of their increasing influence on the lives of young people.
... i mean, its about time they stepped up their game on this front. but i'm still skeptical about how effective these new measures are gonna be. like, have they actually tested this stuff out in a real-world setting or are we just supposed to take their word for it? 
and what's with all the fuss about banning social media for under-16s anyway? is that even a feasible solution?
TikTok thinks adding more advanced age-detection tech is gonna solve the whole underage user problem? Like, it's not that hard to just use a birthdate field on your profile already... and what's with all these human moderators? Can't they just, I don't know, automate most of the decisions or something? 
. Like, what's next? Checking our mental health stats too? 
I mean, we get it, the platform wants to protect minors, but shouldn't they just rely on good old-fashioned parental oversight instead of snooping around users' profiles? 
I'm like super nervous about this new age verification thing on TikTok 
... my little sis just turned 13 
and she's already on there, and I'm worried she'll be flagged for being underage 
. But at the same time, I get it, parents need to keep an eye on what their kids are doing online 
. I remember when I was in high school, TikTok didn't even exist yet... now my niece is creating content and gaining followers like it's nothing 
but for real though, about time someone took this seriously! I mean, it's one thing to be a teenager, another to pose as an adult... that's just shady. Glad to see TikTok is stepping up their game and taking action against minors trying to exploit the platform. And btw, if 16s are getting banned from social media, that's not too shabby for them 
. This new tech should help flag down any fake profiles and keep them from getting exposed to mature content. Still, hope these human mods are trained well so they don't mess up the system 
. Like, what's the ideal age range? Can't we just, you know, educate people and stuff instead of taking away their online freedom entirely?
. I mean, how accurate is this thing gonna be? And what about those who are, you know, trying to keep their profiles private but still want to use the platform? It's all just so... complicated 
. Maybe this is the start of something bigger – a new era of regulation and oversight that actually works for everyone 
! I'm all about keeping those minors safe online 
. They're already doing so much to remove 6 million underage accounts every month - that's like, crazy impressive 
. It's about time we start taking the well-being of our young people seriously 
. That way, they can catch those sneaky underage accounts without sacrificing user trust. Still, it's gonna be interesting to see how this plays out in the UK and other countries, especially with all these proposed bans 
...