UK ICO Investigates TikTok, Reddit, and Imgur Over Children's Data Protection
The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has launched an investigation into TikTok, Reddit, and Imgur to assess their efforts in safeguarding the personal data of children aged 13 to 17.
The regulator is specifically examining how TikTok, owned by ByteDance, processes children's data to personalize recommendations and curate content feeds. Concerns have been raised about social media platforms using children's online activity to power their recommendation algorithms, potentially exposing them to harmful or inappropriate content.
In addition, the ICO is reviewing Imgur and Reddit’s approaches to handling children's data, focusing on their methods for verifying user age and tailoring content accordingly. The investigation will determine whether these companies have violated data protection laws, and any findings will be shared with the platforms before final decisions are made.
“The responsibility to keep children safe online lies firmly at the door of the companies offering these services, and my office is steadfast in its commitment to hold them to account," said John Edwards, UK Information Commissioner. “By announcing these investigations, we are making it clear what action we are taking to uphold children’s information rights.”
This move follows the enforcement of the Children’s Code in September 2021, which requires online services to meet strict standards for handling children's data. Since then, platforms like X (formerly Twitter) have stopped serving ads to users under 18 and removed geolocation sharing for minors, while Viber has disabled personalized advertising for children.
