The UK’s communications regulator has launched a formal investigation into TikTok age verification, raising questions over whether the platform is adequately protecting children online under the country’s Online Safety Act. The move comes as Britain prepares to introduce a social media ban for under-16s, with regulators warning that current age assurance methods used by some platforms may not be sufficient to prevent children from accessing harmful content.
The investigation follows the publication of a new Ofcom report that found age checks are becoming more common across online services, but significant gaps remain, particularly on social media platforms and some pornography websites.
Ofcom Questions TikTok Age Verification Method
According to Ofcom, some social media companies rely primarily on age inference methods to identify child users. These systems estimate a user’s age based on their online behavior rather than verifying it directly.
The regulator said it has “serious doubts” about whether these methods are capable of meeting the standards required under the Online Safety Act. Ofcom believes some companies may be failing to correctly identify a significant number of children, potentially exposing them to harmful content, including pornography, self-harm, and suicide-related material.
As a result, Ofcom has launched a formal investigation into whether TikTok is complying with its legal duties to protect children from harmful content.
The regulator also warned that age inference alone will not be considered sufficient for enforcing the government’s planned restrictions on social media use by children under 16. Platforms using such methods have been urged to adopt more effective age assurance technologies or provide compelling evidence demonstrating their effectiveness.
Age Checks Increase Across Online Services
The report found significant progress in the adoption of age checks since the Online Safety Act’s child protection duties came into force in July 2025.
Between July 2025 and January 2026, the proportion of children encountering highly effective age checks increased from 25% to 43%.
Ofcom said more than 69 million age checks were completed across a sample of 32 UK services during the second half of 2025, representing a 23-fold increase compared to the previous six months.
The regulator also reported that all of the UK’s top 10 pornography websites and most of the top 100 now have age verification measures in place.
Among children aged 8 to 14 who attempted to access pornography, only 8% visited such services. Half of those children reached only websites with age checks, while nearly 87% of their visits lasted less than 30 seconds, suggesting age verification discouraged continued access.
Search Engines Also Face Scrutiny
Despite the wider rollout of age assurance, Ofcom found that children can still easily discover pornography websites without age checks through Google Search and Bing.
Its analysis found that 33% of first-page Google search results and 54% of Bing results directed users to pornography websites lacking age verification or equivalent protections.
Following discussions with the regulator, Google and Bing have agreed to work with Ofcom on practical measures to reduce the visibility of such websites in search results.
Meanwhile, Ofcom continues enforcement against adult services that fail to comply with the law. The regulator has opened 23 investigations involving 88 adult service providers, with many either introducing age assurance or blocking UK users after enforcement action.
UK Moves Toward Social Media Ban for Under-16s
The investigation comes as the UK government advances plans to introduce a social media ban for under-16s, modeled on Australia’s approach.
Under the proposal, platforms including TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and X would be prohibited from offering social media services to users under 16. Messaging services such as WhatsApp and Signal are not expected to be included.
The government also plans to introduce additional protections, including restrictions on livestreaming and communication with strangers for children under 16 across social media and certain gaming platforms. Similar safeguards would apply by default to users aged 16 and 17 to avoid what officials describe as a “cliff-edge” at age 16.
The proposed measures are expected to be presented to Parliament before the end of the year, with implementation targeted for Spring 2027.
Ofcom said it will submit a rapid assessment to Parliament by the end of October outlining what constitutes highly effective age assurance for verifying whether someone is over 16, helping shape future enforcement of the planned restrictions.
