TikTok will soon roll out enhanced age-verification technology across the European Union, aiming to prevent children under 16 from accessing its platform. The move comes amid growing calls for stricter social media restrictions similar to Australia’s ban on under-16s.
Major platforms such as YouTube and Meta are also under increasing pressure to identify and remove accounts belonging to children.
The system, piloted quietly over the past year, uses a combination of profile data, posted videos, and behavioural signals to predict whether an account is likely to belong to a user under the age of 13. Flagged accounts are reviewed by specialist moderators rather than being automatically banned, with users allowed to appeal if an error is made. TikTok offers options for age verification during the appeal, including facial age estimation via Yoti, credit card authorisation, or government-approved identification.
European authorities have been scrutinising different platforms’ age verification methods under data protection laws. TikTok says its system complies with privacy regulations and is designed solely to ensure safety for younger users. Additional protective features include limiting direct messaging for under-16s, restricting notifications after bedtime for under-18s, and a 60-minute daily screen-time limit.
In December 2025, Australia implemented a world-first under-16 social media ban, resulting in the removal of 4.7 million accounts across major platforms, including TikTok, Meta, Instagram, Snap, and YouTube. Meta alone reported removing hundreds of thousands of underage accounts in the first week of the law taking effect.
Julie Inman Grant, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, stated that while verifying ages accurately takes time, platforms are showing significant progress.
