Tech Desk 
Jan 16, 2026
TikTok on Friday announced the launch of new age-verification technology across Europe in the coming weeks, it faces regulatory pressure to improve identify and remove accounts belonging to children under 13.
Speaking to Reuters, TikTok said that it analyses profile information, posted videos and behavioural signals to predict whether an account may be underage. Accounts flagged by the technology will be reviewed by specialist moderators rather than automatically banned.
This launch comes as European authorities scrutinise how social media platforms identify users' age under strict data-protection rules.
"Despite extensive efforts, there is no globally agreed way to confirm a person's age while preserving privacy," said TikTok, adding that for appeals against bans, the company will use facial-age estimation from verification provider Yoti, along with credit-card checks and government-issued identification.
"European users will be notified as the technology launches," added the ByteDance-owned platform.
The company said the new technology was developed particularly for Europe to cooperate with the region's regulatory requirements. The company has worked with Ireland's Data Protection Commission, its lead EU privacy regulator, while developing the system.
