TikTok allegedly knowingly let children under 13 register on its platform

Would ByteDance be a little lax with the age of its users? It seems that the parent company of TikTok has let children under the age of 13 register on its service.

This is unlikely to calm the panic around TikTok. In a survey published on December 19, the highly respected Guardian claims that the social network would voluntarily let children under the age of 13 register on its site, despite what its rules of use indicate. Certain accounts would even have been particularly highlighted by the platform.

12-year-old children labeled “Top Designers”

The tactic used by young Internet users would not even be particularly clever. An account belonging to a 12-year-old child (displayed as such in his presentation) would have simply remained online, because it was noted that the profile was monitored by his parents. Letters consulted by the Guardian indicate that the account had indeed been spotted by a moderator responsible for the platform, but that it would have received the blessing of the company itself, since supposedly placed under parental authority.

This instruction would have been communicated to a good number of moderators in Europe. Even more embarrassing, certain moderators were reportedly asked to leave videos of children under 13 online if a parent appeared in the background. “ It’s very easy to avoid getting banned when you’re a minor. Once a child has found the technique, they can share it with their friends“, confessed a TikTok employee toGuardian.

To make matters worse, some of his accounts were even labeled by TikTok as “Top Creators”, entitling them to preferential treatment from the platform. Some profiles were even capable of receiving private messages even though TikTok’s rules limit this function to Internet users over 16 years old.

18 million minor accounts deleted

Following the Guardian’s accusations, TikTok defended itself by explaining that “these allegations are erroneous or based on misunderstandings […] Community Guidelines apply equally to all content on TikTok and we do not allow minors under the age of 13 on our platform.» As a guarantee of good faith, the company claims to have deleted 18 million accounts created by minors under the age of 13 between April and June of this year.

It must be said that the platform risks a lot if it is indeed found guilty of laxity on the subject. The GDPR and the DSA very strictly regulate the use of data from minor Internet users. Unfortunately, the platform’s history on the subject is not reassuring, with the United States, Europe and the United Kingdom having already put their noses in the company’s affairs for similar facts.

Source : Guardian