Canadian privacy watchdogs have ruled that TikTok, the Chinese-owned short-video platform, has failed to adequately protect children’s personal information and has not done enough to keep under-13 users off its platform.
The findings come from a long-running joint investigation led by Canada’s federal Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne, working with counterparts from British Columbia, Alberta, and Quebec. Their review looked at how TikTok collects, stores, and uses personal information, particularly data from children and teenagers.
Dufresne told reporters that the app collects a “vast amount of personal data” from all users, including children. That data is then fed into TikTok’s algorithm to target ads, suggest content, and personalize feeds—a system that the investigators warned could cause serious harm to younger audiences.
Children Are Still Using TikTok Despite Age Limits
Although TikTok’s official rules say the app is not intended for children under 13, the report found that hundreds of thousands of Canadian children continue to use it every year.
In Quebec alone, surveys show about 40% of youth aged 6 to 17 have TikTok accounts. Alarmingly, even among children as young as 6 to 12, around 17% are active users. This means that large numbers of children are accessing the platform despite the age restriction, exposing them to data tracking, online marketing, and potentially harmful content.
TikTok claims it removes roughly 500,000 underage accounts per year in Canada, but regulators noted that this is only a partial solution. By the time accounts are deleted, the children’s personal data has already been collected and processed by TikTok’s systems.
What Data TikTok Collects from Kids
Investigators found TikTok gathered an extensive list of personal details, far beyond what parents and children might expect. This included:
- Biometric data – such as facial recognition information.
- Location data – including approximate whereabouts of users.
- Behavioral data – tracking viewing patterns, likes, and time spent on videos.
- Inferential data – including estimates of a user’s spending power, interests, and personality traits.
Officials also discovered that TikTok’s advertising tools allowed targeting based on sensitive attributes, including a controversial category suggesting “transgender status.” Privacy regulators flagged this as highly inappropriate, particularly when children’s accounts could be affected.
Age Verification and Consent Found “Weak”
Another key issue was age verification. TikTok relies heavily on users entering a date of birth when signing up. Privacy officials called this ineffective, since children can easily misrepresent their age to gain access.
In addition, the process of obtaining user consent for data collection was deemed insufficient. Investigators said TikTok failed to explain in clear, simple terms what information is collected, how it is used, and what the risks are. This is especially problematic for children, who cannot reasonably give informed consent.
TikTok Pushes Back but Promises Changes
TikTok issued a statement saying it disagrees with parts of the report but has promised to adopt new safeguards for Canadian users.
Some of the measures TikTok agreed to include:
- Three new age-assurance tools to better detect and block under-13 users.
- Stronger transparency policies, including plain-language explanations of how data is used and upfront notifications when biometric information is involved.
- Restrictions on advertising, so that under-18 users can only be targeted through broad categories like language or location, not personal behavior.
- A “Privacy Settings Check-up” for Canadian users, to make it easier for families to manage their accounts.
- Monthly progress reports to Canadian regulators to ensure the reforms are actually implemented.
Commissioner Dufresne called the case “conditionally resolved.” This means TikTok is expected to make good on its commitments, but regulators will continue monitoring closely.
Why This Matters for Parents and Children
Privacy officials stressed that TikTok’s model of collecting huge amounts of data and feeding it into an algorithm can have serious impacts on young people. Personalized feeds can amplify addictive content, encourage harmful trends, and create risks around mental health, body image, and exposure to inappropriate material.
Beyond content concerns, the commercial use of children’s personal information raises questions about fairness and legality. Officials said companies must not treat children’s data as a commodity for marketing.
Global Scrutiny of TikTok
The Canadian probe is only the latest in a global wave of regulatory pressure on TikTok:
- European Union: The EU fined TikTok €530 million in 2024 for breaking GDPR rules related to transferring user data to China. It also launched an investigation under the Digital Services Act (DSA) to check if TikTok is protecting children adequately.
- United States: U.S. authorities have sued TikTok for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by collecting data from minors without parental consent. The U.S. government has also considered forcing TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell its American operations.
- Other restrictions: In 2023, the European Commission banned TikTok on staff phones and corporate devices due to cybersecurity concerns. Other governments, including India, have banned TikTok outright, citing national security and privacy issues.
These actions highlight how TikTok is caught in the middle of debates over children’s digital safety, algorithmic transparency, and geopolitics.
The Road Ahead
For now, Canada’s privacy offices say TikTok has made serious commitments. But watchdogs emphasize that words are not enough—the platform must prove with action that it can protect children.
If TikTok fails to meet its obligations, regulators could consider stronger enforcement, including legal measures or penalties.
For Canadian parents, the message is clear: stay aware of how children use TikTok, review privacy settings regularly, and talk openly with kids about online risks.
The Information is Collected from BBC and CBC.
