The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is launching three investigations to explore how TikTok, Reddit and Imgur protect the privacy of their child users in the UK.

The regulator said that it has concerns about social media and video sharing platforms using data generated by children's online activity in their recommender systems, which could lead to young people being served inappropriate or harmful content.

At this stage, the ICO said it is investigating whether there have been any infringements of data protection legislation and will investigate further if it finds sufficient evidence that any of the companies have broken the law.

The investigation into TikTok will consider how the platform uses personal information of 13 to 17-year-olds in the UK to make recommendations to them and deliver suggested content to their feeds. The probes into Imgur and Reddit will consider how the platforms use UK children’s personal information and their use of age assurance measures.

The ICO said age assurance plays an important role in keeping children and their personal information safe online. Tools can help estimate or verify a child’s age, which then allow services to be tailored to their needs or access to be restricted.

The investigations are part of the ICO’s efforts to ensure companies are designing digital services that protect children.

The regulator said it will be working closely with Ofcom, which has responsibility for enforcing the Online Safety Act, to ensure its efforts are coordinated.

John Edwards, UK information commissioner, said that the ICO welcomes the technology and innovation that social media companies bring to the UK, adding that they must ensure children’s information rights are upheld.

“My message is simple,” he said. “If social media and video sharing platforms want to benefit from operating in the UK they must comply with data protection law.

“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.”

William Richmond-Coggan, a partner specialising in data protection and technology at Freeths LLP, said that the investigation into TikTok would benefit the highest number of users and any findings will attract a lot of attention.

"A range of very serious obligations are imposed in relation to the safety of young people, and the protection of their personal data, under statutory guidance like the ICO’s Children’s Code and under legislation like the Online Safety Act," he addded. "Most of those obligations apply to any business which operates using significant quantities of children’s data, or which offers products and services which might be expected to be of interest to young people (whether or not targeted at them).

"It may be that smaller businesses will be able to escape direct regulatory scrutiny, at least unless they suffer a breach or other incident. But we have already seen some litigation in the UK and elsewhere targeted at the potentially harmful impact on young people of Tiktok’s algorithms."

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