TikTok will introduce technology to tighten age checks across Europe to keep under‑13s off the platform.

The social media platform said it would introduce the technology “in the coming weeks” as part of compliance and safety efforts amid regulatory pressure.

Owned by Chinese tech firm ByteDance, TikTok is one of the most popular social media apps, enabling users to watch, create and share short videos. It is known to be highly additive, with more than 1.6 billion people worldwide using it every month. In Europe alone, TikTok has more than 200 million monthly users – roughly one in three citizens on the continent.

With many of these users being teenagers, the firm has faced pressure under EU data protection and safety expectations to better identify and remove accounts belonging to children.

The firm said it has been piloting an age-detection system in the EU for the past year, which is now due to come into effect. It uses AI to analyse profile data, posted videos and behavioural signals to predict whether an account may belong to a user under the age of 13.

Human moderators will then review the account rather than automatically banning it. If an account is banned and the user appeals it, TikTok said it will then use age-verification checks, including the use of facial-age estimation technology supplied by British firm Yoti, along with credit card and ID checks. 

TikTok told Reuters that the new technology was built specifically for Europe to comply with the region’s regulatory requirements and European users will be notified when the technology launches.

This news comes as social media firms across the world face increasing scrutiny over how their platforms are used by young people and the potential harm they may cause.

In December, Australia introduced its ban on social media for children under 16, with tech companies facing fines of up to AUS$49.5m (£25m) if they don’t take “reasonable steps” to stop these users from accessing their platforms. 

The impact of this new law is being watched by countries around the world. Last week Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch called for a similar ban on all social media for children under 16. 

This week, Keir Starmer said the government is considering what further protections can be put in place to better protect children from social media, indicating he is open to considering an Australia-style social media ban.

Parents in the UK have been following these developments. Spurred on by campaign group Smartphone Free Childhood, more than 150,000 people have sent letters to their local MPs this week using a template asking for “reasonable, age‑appropriate boundaries” on children’s use of social media.

A spokesperson from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology told The Guardian that “a social media ban is not our current policy but we keep all options under review based on the evidence. We are striking the right balance: protecting children from harm while ensuring they can benefit safely from the digital world.”