Social media algorithms "may addict children to devices" - data watchdog
An investigation will take place into the information companies hold about children
TikTok is going to be investigated by the UK's data protection watchdog, over how teenagers' personal information is used.
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) says it will study how the site delivers content recommendations to users aged thirteen to seventeen years.
The video-sharing platform has been chosen "because it's trending to become one of the dominant ones," not because of any information suggesting it creates more harm than others.
Online forum site Reddit and image-sharing site Imgur will also be investigated, on their use of age assurance measures, such as how they verify a child's age to tailor their experience.
The regulator said it was taking the action in light of growing concerns around how social media platforms were using data generated by children's online activity to power their recommendation algorithms, and the potential for young people to be served inappropriate or harmful content as a result.
The ICO also introduced a children's code for online privacy in 2021, which requires firms to take steps to protect children's personal information online.
Information commissioner John Edwards told KISS: "If it goes wrong, inappropriate content can be placed in front of children, it can exacerbate frailties they might have, it can maybe addict them to devices.
"These are some theories that we'll be looking at in the platform, and of course there's also general data harms.
"Sometimes children can be targeted for advertisements which may not be suitable for the age group that is receiving them."
People know "very little" about the data collected about them
Mr Edwards says a recent survey has found fewer than half of parents believe they are confident about how data is being used.
"It's simply too complex," he added, saying: "I'm not sure that even those that are of us that are informed have a really good understanding of that.
"That's why we're doing this investigation, why we'll ask for detailed technical information about how the algorithms work, what data they collect, how long it keeps them for and how they use that."
Mr Edwards said the regulator was "not picking on TikTok" by making it the subject of an investigation on a topic common across social media, and hoped to understand more about the wider social media landscape through the investigation.
"We've chosen TikTok, not because we have any information to suggest that it's less compliant or creates more harms than any other platform, but simply because it's trending to become one of the dominant ones.
"So if it's going to get more and more young people onto the platform, we want to make sure it's safe that they're doing everything right."
The ICO said its investigations were to look into whether there had been any infringements of data protection legislation, and if any evidence of potential breaches is found, the regulator said it would put it to the platforms and obtain their representations before reaching a final conclusion.
"I'm keen for people to know that there is a regulator there, making sure that these platforms are made safe for children," the commissioner told KISS.
TikTok has been contacted for a comment.
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