Britain's communications regulator has launched a formal investigation into TikTok over complaints the platform is failing to protect children from harmful content.
Ofcom said the probe would examine whether TikTok was meeting its legal obligations under the Act, which has been rolled out in stages since passing into law in October 2023.
The investigation follows an Ofcom review that found the platform was "failing" to take adequate steps to protect children "despite overwhelming evidence of harm," as well as a separate report citing issues about children's exposure to harmful material on the app.
The regulator also raised doubts about TikTok's age verification methods, saying its systems "may have failed to correctly identify a significant proportion of children."
Ofcom's director of research, Kate Davies, explained that TikTok relies on age inference, analysing viewing behaviour and online activity to estimate a user's age.
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Davies however said the Online Safety Act requires platforms to identify children accurately.
"We have questions about whether that method can do that," she said.
Ofcom stressed that opening an investigation did not amount to a finding of wrongdoing, but warned that if failures were confirmed, the platform could face fines of up to £18 million or 10 per cent of qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever was greater.
It could also seek a court order compelling internet service providers to block access to the platform.
TikTok pushed back, saying it invested billions in platform safety since launching in the United Kingdom (UK) eight years ago and was confident it met its Online Safety Act obligations.
"We strictly enforce age-appropriate experiences through expert-informed platform rules and advanced age inference technologies, in line with major industry peers," a spokesperson said, adding that the company would cooperate with Ofcom to demonstrate its compliance.
The probe arrives a month after the government announced a ban on social media use for under-16s, expected to take effect in spring 2027, covering TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X.
It was also announced on Wednesday that 16 and 17-year-olds would be able to opt in to overnight social media curfews and disable infinite scrolling.
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