FILE PHOTO: The TikTok app icon on a smartphone in this illustration taken October 27, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
16 Jul 2026 01:44PM
(Updated: 16 Jul 2026 01:52PM)
July 16 : Britain's media regulator on Thursday launched a probe into TikTok to understand whether its UK unit failed or is failing to protect children from harmful content. The probe comes a month after the government imposed a blanket ban on social media for users under the age of 16 and imposed restrictions on gaming and live-streaming platforms. Here are some details and context on the regulator's probe into TikTok:• Ofcom will probe whether the platform has measures to assess if a particular user is a child and adequate systems and processes to prevent children from viewing harmful content.
• In May, the regulator said TikTok had failed to set out meaningful steps to protect British children from harmful online content.• The opening of an investigation does not mean that Ofcom has reached any conclusion about whether the provider has breached its duties, Ofcom said.• TikTok did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
