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Britain’s data protection authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), initiated an investigation on Monday into the measures employed by TikTok, Reddit, and the online image-sharing platform Imgur to protect the privacy of children.
Social media platforms utilize intricate algorithms to prioritize content and maintain user engagement. However, the tendency to amplify similar content may expose children to an increasing volume of harmful material. The ICO is specifically examining how TikTok, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, utilizes the personal information of users aged 13 to 17 to curate content suggestions in their feeds.
Additionally, the investigation will assess how Reddit and Imgur determine the age of their child users. The Information Commissioner’s Office stated, “If we find there is sufficient evidence that any of these companies have broken the law, we will present our findings to them and seek their responses before arriving at a final decision.”
Reddit has been collaborating closely with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and is committed to adhering to all applicable regulations in the countries where it operates, as stated by a company spokesperson in an email to Reuters.
“The majority of our users are adults; however, we plan to implement changes this year to align with the updated UK regulations concerning age verification,” the spokesperson noted. TikTok and Imgur did not provide a response to Reuters’ request for comment.
The United Kingdom has enacted legislation imposing stricter regulations on social media platforms, which includes a requirement to prevent minors from accessing harmful and age-inappropriate content through the enforcement of age restrictions and verification processes.
Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok are mandated to adjust their algorithms to filter or reduce the visibility of harmful content, thereby enhancing protections for children, as outlined in proposed British measures released last year.
