TikTok to roll out new age detection technology across Europe

New technology aims to better identify underage users while complying with strict EU privacy rules.

TikTok is set to introduce a new form of age-detection technology in Europe that it intends to launch in the coming weeks in response to a tightening of scrutiny into how social media platforms are protecting minors.

The video-sharing app, which is owned by ByteDance and told Reuters the above system was piloted over a period of one year in Europe and has the objective of determining the best way possible accounts that might be held by users under the age of 13. The app currently relies on the age a user has set.

The accounts marked by the system will not automatically get taken down. They will instead be checked by specially trained moderators, as TikTok balances child safety with accuracy, according to the firm.

This is coming at a time when European regulators are calling for greater age verification, despite GDPR regulations on protecting consumer privacy. As a result, regulators feel that age verification methods, which include asking for birth dates, are no longer very effective.

Few countries are agitating for stricter legislation. Last year, the Australian government introduced the first-ever blanket ban on the use of social media platforms for anyone under the age of 16 years. The European Parliament has endorsed the need for age restrictions on the use of social media platforms, while the Danish government has suggested that under-15-year-old children should not use these platforms.

TikTok has pointed out that the UK test resulted in the shutdown of thousands of accounts held by those under the age of 13, indicating that this strategy could be effective in improving the enforcement of pre-existing policies.

“Despite significant efforts, to date, there is no universally agreed way to verify an individual’s age in a way that respects privacy,” the company stated in its recognition of the problem. On appeal cases, additional means of verifying age are to be brought to bear by TikTok through facial age estimation provided by Yoti.

Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, also employs Yoti’s technology in age-verification systems to show how the industry is turning to third-party solutions.

The newly developed age-detection AI is designed for use within Europe and in line with European regulations, according to TikTok. It has been working very closely with Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, which is Europe’s lead privacy regulator.

TikTok stated that it will alert European users when such technology is available in their region. The kind of product that TikTok is developing is likely to receive a huge following from users and from regulatory bodies that are searching for effective ways to protect children on the internet without compromising their privacy.