TikTok using AI to block under-13 accounts across Europe | Latest Tech News
The clock is Tikking on tweens’ social media use.
Amid government-sponsored social media clampdowns, TikTok is rolling out a new AI-powered age-detection tech across Europe that permits it to determine and purge accounts belonging to youngsters under the age of 13.
The new AI age control system analyzes profile information, posted clips, and posting patterns to decide if an account belongs to somebody underage, the tech firm declared in a press weblog post.
Amid government-sponsored social media clampdowns, TikTok is rolling out a new AI-powered age-detection tech across Europe that permits them to determine and purge accounts belonging to youngsters under the age of 13. REUTERS
When an account is flagged by the digital filtration system, it is going to be reviewed by specialist moderators, who will assess whether or not it must be banned.
“At TikTok, we’re committed to keeping children under the age of 13 off our platform, providing teens with age-appropriate experiences and continuing to assess and implement a range of solutions,” TikTok declared. “We believe that a multi-layered approach to age assurance — one in which multiple techniques are used — is essential to protecting teens and upholding safety-by-design principles.”
The Post reached out to TikTok for remark.
The transfer, which was constructed in collaboration with the Data Protection Commission of Ireland in accordance with stringent European privateness legal guidelines, follows a yearlong pilot in Europe that noticed 1000’s of underage accounts get culled.
While the measure may seem to be a digital fine-toothed comb, TikTok even acknowledged that no age-detection system is hermetic.
“Despite best efforts, there remains no globally agreed-upon method for effectively confirming a person’s age in a way that also preserves their privacy,” the platform declared.
The transfer, which was constructed in collaboration with the Data Protection Commission of Ireland in accordance with stringent European privateness legal guidelines, follows a yearlong pilot in Europe that noticed 1000’s of underage accounts get culled. REUTERS
In accordance, customers who consider they’ve been wrongfully eliminated can appeal by offering a government-approved ID, a credit card authorization or a selfie for age estimation.
The rollout comes as nations around the world more and more clamp down on tween TikTok use, which has been shown to up the risk of depression and anxiety by exposing kids to dangerous content associated to suicide, eating problems and more.
Last 12 months, Australia enacted the world’s first ban on social media for youngsters under 16.
This sparked an outcry from Meta, which eliminated 544,052 suspected under-16 accounts across Instagram, Facebook and Threads between Dec. 4 and Dec. 11 as the nation’s age restriction kicked in.
“We call on the Australian government to engage with industry constructively to find a better way forward, such as incentivising all of industry to raise the standard in providing safe, privacy-preserving, age-appropriate experiences online, instead of blanket bans,” reps for the tech giant declared.
They also felt that the measure would create a “whack-a-mole effect” where teenagers merely jumped to the next platform.
And it’s not just those across the pond mulling a moratorium on TikTok. In 2024, then-President Joe Biden set a TikTok ban through the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.
However, President Donald Trump issued 5 government orders suspending the measure, most just lately in the autumn, when he pushed it back to Jan. 23, 2026, amid commerce offers with China.
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