TikTok announced to the members of the press on Friday that it will begin implementing new age-detection technologies throughout Europe in the upcoming weeks as it revealed that it is using new AI-powered age-detection technologies throughout Europe in order to more accurately identify and delete accounts belonging to children younger than 13. This action is a response to growing pressure from European regulators to impose stricter age restrictions. The ByteDance-owned platform is under regulatory pressure to more accurately identify and delete accounts belonging to minors under the age of thirteen.
The undisclosed system is the result of a year-long British pilot. To determine whether an account may be underage, it examines profile data, uploaded videos, and behavioural cues. Instead of being automatically banned, accounts that the technology flags will be examined by qualified moderators, according to TikTok.
The deployment coincides with European authorities’ scrutiny of how platforms check users’ ages under stringent data-protection regulations, amid worries that existing methods are either inefficient or unduly intrusive.
While the European Parliament is advocating for age restrictions on social media platforms, Australia last year enforced the world’s first social media ban on minors under 16. Denmark wants to prohibit minors under the age of fifteen from using social media.
Thousands more accounts under 13 were deleted as a result of the UK experiment.
The regulatory challenges highlight ongoing tensions as a U.S. state judge in Delaware is set to hear TikTok’s request to dismiss a lawsuit on Friday. The case, filed last year by the parents of five British children who allegedly died while participating in prank and challenge videos, raises serious safety and accountability concerns.
According to the lawsuit, TikTok’s algorithms pushed youngsters to see harmful content, such as a “blackout challenge” that urged users to suffocate themselves.
The Delaware Superior Court lawsuit stated, “ByteDance harmed these children after its leadership knew that its programming decisions were resulting in the accidental deaths of children.” A few of the kids were younger than thirteen. Our sincere condolences are still with these families,” a TikTok representative stated. “We strictly prohibit content that promotes or encourages dangerous behaviour.”
In 2022, TikTok managed to have a different case that claimed it was responsible for a 10-year-old girl’s death dismissed.
TikTok says that although it has made significant efforts, there is still no universally accepted way to verify a user’s age while safeguarding privacy. For its Europe-focused system, the company will rely on government-issued IDs, credit card verification, and facial age estimation provided by verification partner Yoti for appeals against restrictions.
Meta uses Yoti to confirm users’ ages on Facebook and opens a new tab.
According to TikTok, the new technology was created especially for Europe in order to meet the legal requirements of the continent. While creating the system, the corporation collaborated with Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, its primary EU privacy regulator.
According to TikTok, users in Europe will be informed when the technology launches.
The important aspects of the new system bring:
Behavioural Analysis: To determine whether a user is underage, the system examines profile data, uploaded videos, and behavioural cues (such interaction patterns).
Human Moderation: Accounts that have been flagged are forwarded to specialised moderators for human evaluation rather than being instantly banned.
Enhanced Appeals: Users who think they were incorrectly reported may file an appeal by presenting a credit card check, a government ID, or a facial-age estimate from Yoti, a third-party source.
The regulatory framework brings:
Regional Compliance: In partnership with Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, the primary EU privacy body, the system was developed especially for Europe.
Tighter Guidelines: The implementation comes after a year-long trial in the EU and Britain that effectively deleted thousands of accounts belonging to minors.
Global Shifts: Australia’s recent ban on minors under 16 and Denmark’s push to outlaw social media for those under 15 are just two examples of the global trend towards tighter age restrictions.
Although this technology improves safety, TikTok has pointed out that there is presently no internationally accepted technique for age confirmation that completely protects user privacy, making it a challenging trade-off between stringent age enforcement and preserving user privacy.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
