July 16 (Reuters) – 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:
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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.
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In May, the regulator said TikTok had failed to set out meaningful steps to protect British children from harmful online content.
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The opening of an investigation does not mean that Ofcom has reached any conclusion about whether the provider has breached its duties, Ofcom said.
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TikTok did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Reporting by Prerna Bedi in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia Cheema.
