TikTok says it will roll out tech for age checks in Europe, warns privacy trade-offs

TikTok has said that it will begin deploying advanced age-detection technology across Europe in the coming weeks but has warned that by using this tech will compromise users’ privacy, a report has said. The move comes as a response to regulatory pressure to deactivate accounts of users who are under the age of 13.According to a report by news agency Reuters, the system has been under a pilot programme for a year, and essentially moves away from previous process of self-reporting. The technology will utilise an AI-driven behavioural analysis engine to flag accounts that appear to belong to children under age of 13.TikTok said that the accounts flagged by the technology will be reviewed by moderators and will not be automatically banned.TikTok, however, warned that despite extensive efforts, there is no globally agreed way to confirm a person’s age while preserving privacy. For appeals against bans, the company said that it will use facial-age estimation from verification provider Yoti. These will be along with credit-card checks and government-issued identification. Meta also uses Yoti to verify users' ages on Facebook.Meanwhile, TikTok said the technology has specifically been built for Europe to comply with the region's regulatory requirements. It added that it has worked closely with Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, its lead EU regulator, to ensure the system meets regional privacy standards. Users in the region can expect to receive in-app notifications as the technology officially goes live in their respective countries.In May 2025, the Irish regulator announced a 530 million euros fine against TikTok, ordering corrective measures following an inquiry focused on data transfers and transparency requirements.