TikTok has deleted nearly 7.3 million accounts allegedly belonging to under-aged children during the first quarter of 2021.
Video sharing platform said these suspended profiles account for less than 1% of it’s global user base.
Children aged 13 and older are legally allowed to use the platform. It is wildly popular with teenagers.
Transparency And Accountability
This is the first time that TikTok has released such a report in its Community Guidelines Enforcement report.
It is hoped that the information on under-age and restricted users using the platform “will help the industry to move forward when it comes to transparency and accountability about user safety”.
What Does The New Report Say?
The report also stated:
61,951,327 videos have been removed in violation of app rules, less than 1% of all videos uploaded
82% of them were removed before viewing, 91% before any user reported them, and 93% within 24 hours of posting
1,921,900 ads have been rejected due to violations of our advertising policies and guidelines
A total of 11,149,514 accounts have been deleted due to non-compliance with operating guidelines.
Protecting Minors On TikTok
TikTok stressed that it has introduced a number of measures to protect young people on the podium, including restrictions on features such as texting and live streaming to users 16 years of age and older.
Those under the age of 16 will also have to keep their accounts private – and it has been rolled out as an automatic feature introduced in January this year.
“To bring more visibility into the actions we take to protect children, in this report we have added the number of deleted accounts that may be of a minor,” said Cormac Keenan, head of security and safety at TikTok.
“In order to continue to strengthen our approach to keeping TikTok a place for people 13 years and older, we aim to explore new technologies to help with the challenge facing the age verification industry.”
Growing Concerns
The Chinese app is very popular with young people but the concern for users under the age is growing.
Data released in the New York Times last year suggested that about one third of US users were 14 years of age and younger.
“One of the challenges TikTok faces that isn’t different to [other forms of] social media is verifying the age of users,” said Chris Stokel-Walker, author of TikTok Boom.
“For decades, it may be possible to pass age checks by simply stating that you are older than you are, including false birthdays.
“TikTok has one of the most advanced computer technologies in the world, and with it, it may be able to accurately identify users under the age of official user policy. But using such technology may require many permissions that people may feel frustrated with.”
