TikTok to tighten age-verification technology in EU amid regulator scrutiny
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The news: Social media giant TikTok said that it will roll out new age-detection technology across Europe in the coming weeks, as the ByteDance-owner company comes under increasing pressure from regulators to remove accounts of children under 13.
The context: In a blog post published on Friday, TikTok said that the new technology, which was piloted in the EU over the past year, analyses profile information, videos posted and behavioural signals to predict whether a user is underage.
Accounts flagged by the system are reviewed by human specialist moderators rather than automatically banned. For appeals against bans, the TikTok will use facial-age estimation from verification provider Yoti.
TikTok said the European pilot led to the removal of thousands of accounts.
The company said that other features to protect young users, with teen accounts having 50 preset safety features, including the need to be 16 in order to use TikTok’s direct message service. Teens under 18 have a 60 minute screen time limit by default.
European Parliament is currently pushing for age limits on social media platforms, with Denmark wanting to ban social media for under 15-year-olds.
Earlier this week, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner said social media platforms, including TikTok, have removed 4.7 million accounts held by under-16s in the first month of the country’s world-first age restriction law. The crackdown threatens companies with fines of up to $49.5 million for non-compliance.
The sources: TikTok, Reuters, The Guardian
