The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has announced three investigations looking into how TikTok, Reddit and Imgur protect the privacy of their child users in the UK.
The ICO’s investigation into TikTok is considering how the platform uses personal information of 13–17-year-olds in the UK to make recommendations to them and deliver suggested content to their feeds.
Investigations into Imgur and Reddit are considering how the platforms use UK children’s personal information and their use of age assurance measures.
The investigations are part of the regulator’s efforts to ensure companies are designing digital services that protect children.
“We welcome the technology and innovation that companies like social media bring to the UK and want them to thrive in our economy but this cannot be at the expense of children’s privacy,” said John Edwards, UK Information Commissioner.
“My message is simple. 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.”
In the past year, as a direct result of the ICO’s intervention, X has stopped serving adverts to users under 18, BeReal has stopped allowing children to post their precise location online, and Dailymotion has implemented new privacy and transparency measures encouraging children not to share personal information.
The regulator is making strides in a world where almost half of British parents (42%) feel they have little or no control over the information social media and video sharing platforms are collecting about their children.
On top of this, nearly a quarter of the public (23%) say they or their children have stopped using particular platforms and channels because they’re concerned about how this data is used or collected.
The ICO says it will continue to push for further changes where platforms do not comply with the law or conform to the Children’s code.
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