TikTok drops appeal against £12.7m fine for failing to protect underage users

TikTok has agreed to pay a £12.7 million fine imposed by the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) after withdrawing its appeal. The penalty follows a 2023 ruling that the platform failed to adequately prevent children under 13 from accessing the service and neglected to obtain proper parental consent. The ICO estimated that up to 1.75 million underage users were active on the platform in 2020. While TikTok maintains it disagreed with the ruling, it chose to settle, citing the implementation of improved safety measures since that period. Additionally, the company has dropped its challenge against an ICO investigation into how its algorithms process teenagers' data and serve potentially harmful content. This development comes as the UK prepares for stricter under-16 social media access regulations, highlighting the ongoing pressure on tech platforms to enforce age-gating and protect younger users.