- TikTok has been fined £12.8m by the UK for failing to adequately protect the data of children using the app.
- The app has received criticism for its handling of underage users and the content they are exposed to.
- Despite having implemented measures to protect children, critics argue that more efforts should be made to protect them from harmful content and potential predators on the platform.
TikTok will have to pay a fine of 12.8 million pounds sterling, around $15.9 million, for failing to adequately protect the data of children using the app.
The fine was imposed by UK privacy regulators.
This is a new problem for ByteDance, the company behind the Chinese short video app, publishes CNBC.
According to the conclusion reached by the United Kingdom, TikTok allowed 1.4 million children under the age of 13 to use the app in 2020even though its own rules require users to be older than that age in order to have an app account.
Problems for TikTok
TikTok is under siege in the West. Regulatory bodies in Europe and the United States have raised concerns about the platform’s handling of underage users and the content to which they are exposed. In addition to the fear that everyone’s data will reach the hands of the Chinese government.
The app has a minimum age requirement of 13, but critics argue that TikTok’s algorithms and user interface make it easy for younger kids to create accounts. and access content that may not be appropriate for their age.
Before this new fine in the UK, in 2019, the application received another sanction, for which it had to pay 5.7 million dollars, by the United States Federal Trade Commission for violating children’s privacy laws.
In response, TikTok pledged to strengthen its child safety policies and introduce new features to protect underage users.
The company has already implemented a series of measures, such as limiting the visibility of videos created by users under the age of 16 and allowing parents to control their children’s accounts.
However, critics argue that TikTok’s efforts are not enough and that more must be done to protect children from harmful content and potential predators on the platform.
“Should have done better”
The British fine was announced this Tuesday, April 4, by the Office of the Information Commissioner of the United Kingdom, from where a statement was issued arguing that it was due to “a series of breaches of the data protection law, including the lack of of legal use of children’s personal data”.
John Edwards, the UK Information Commissioner, He said TikTok “should have known” and “should have done something.”
TikTok is not alone in this. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram have also been criticized for their handling of underage users and harmful content.
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