Ofcom has opened an investigation into TikTok to determine whether the platform has failed to meet its legal duties to protect children from harmful content under the Online Safety Act.

The regulator will examine whether TikTok has complied with section 12 of the Act, which requires platforms likely to be accessed by children to use proportionate systems and processes to prevent them from encountering harmful content. The investigation will also assess whether TikTok's age assurance measures are sufficiently able to identify child users.

The investigation follows Ofcom's recent review of the steps taken by major online platforms to protect children, alongside its latest report on children's online experiences, which highlighted concerns about children encountering harmful content on TikTok.

Ofcom also pointed to its Age Assurance report, published today, which found that age inference models such as those used by TikTok may have failed to identify a significant proportion of children correctly, potentially exposing them to harmful content.

The regulator said it will investigate whether there are reasonable grounds to believe TikTok has breached its obligations under the Online Safety Act, including its duty to use "highly effective" age assurance to stop children accessing primary priority harmful content.

The duties under investigation came into force on 25 July 2025. Companies can comply either by following Ofcom's Protection of Children Codes of Practice or by adopting alternative measures that achieve the same legal standard.

Ofcom stressed that opening the investigation does not mean it has concluded that TikTok has breached the law. Its first step will be to gather and analyse evidence using its formal information-gathering powers, a process it expects to take at least three months.

If Ofcom finds that TikTok has failed to comply with its duties, it can impose fines of up to £18 million or 10 per cent of the company's qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater. In the most serious cases, the regulator can also seek a court order requiring third parties, such as internet service providers or payment companies, to withdraw services from or block access to the platform in the UK.

Ofcom said it will provide an update on the investigation in October 2026.

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