Is TikTok’s Age Verification Strategy a Global Solution or a Risky Trade-Off

New York: TikTok is now watching its users closely to figure out their ages. This idea, called age verification, aims to protect kids online. However, Goldman says it might cause more problems than it solves. If TikTok mistakes an adult for a child, that could lead to big issues for the user. Because most websites do not know enough about their users, age guesses aren’t always correct.

In the UK, TikTok removed many accounts belonging to kids under 13. But the company admits there is no safe way to check ages without hurting privacy. Alice Marwick from Data & Society thinks that TikTok’s method is slightly better than simply banning users, but it still means more user watching. This could lead to more privacy risks without showing that kids are actually safer.

Goldman points out the irony in this process. He noted that expecting kids to share private info just to stay safe is cruel. The European Union is testing new laws that could change how platforms work, and other countries are paying attention. Richardson from the Canadian Centre for Child Protection believes that online safety needs better rules, rather than leaving it up to big tech companies. He advocates delaying access to social media for children until they are older because many rules are still being discussed.