TikTok has been the preferred app by many when it comes to short-form videos, including younger audiences. While the platform has a decent moderation system for content, there are still videos not meant to be seen by 12-year-olds. Regardless, evidence shows that TikTok allows them anyway.
Underaged Users on TikTok
The social media company is under scrutiny after being accused of allowing underage users on the app. It was said that accounts owned by 12-year-olds or younger were allowed to stay as long as an adult was overseeing the accounts.
In an internal conversation between the TikTok quality analyst and moderator, it was revealed that the former said moderators could allow the account to stay on the platform on the condition that their parents were managing it.
The same message was sent to a group chat consisting of 70 moderators, as reported by The Guardian, all of whom were responsible for moderation in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The alleged moderation policies applied to videos as well.
Even if the user seems like someone younger than 13 in the video, having a parent in the background would be enough to allow them to keep posting. Even a TikTok employee said that it was easy to avoid getting banned, and that underaged users will probably tell their friends to do the same.
TikTok denies these accusations. A spokesperson stated that the allegations about TikTok's policies are wrong or based on misunderstandings. "Our community guidelines apply equally to all content on TikTok and we do not allow under-13s on our platform."
The company further adds that it is deeply committed to ensuring that TikTok is a safe and positive experience for people below the age of 18, and that begins by being old enough to use TikTok, which is 13 years old.
TikTok was Fined for Not Banning Kids Under 12
Even though TikTok denies the current allegations, it was already established that the company still allowed children under the age of 12 on the platform, considering that it was fined by the data protection authority of Britain for that very reason.
For allowing around 1.4 million children under 12 to use the platform back in 2020, TikTok was fined $15.9 million. The company was accused of mishandling the mentioned group's data as well, as TikTok failed to obtain consent before using the kids' personal information.
According to The New York Times, the investigation found that TikTok did not do enough to identify the underage users and remove them once found. Employees from the company themselves have raised concerns over the matter.
The kind of restriction over underaged users is becoming more important, especially with the emerging challenges from the app. While some are harmless like dance trends, other challenges involve participants risking their lives such as eating Tide pods.
There was even a case where a viral video showed how one can gain control of select Kia vehicles using a USB cable. The Kia challenge has led to the fatal accident that claimed four lives of teenagers.
