OTTAWA — Canadian federal and provincial privacy authorities have deemed TikTok's measures to protect children on its platform as "inadequate." A joint investigation revealed that despite TikTok's terms of service prohibiting users under 13 years old from accessing the app, hundreds of thousands of Canadian children still use it annually. The investigation focused on whether TikTok complies with Canadian privacy laws and if it obtains "valid and meaningful" consent for collecting and using personal information from younger users.

The privacy watchdogs found that TikTok's age-assurance methods were insufficient, leading to the collection of sensitive personal data from many underage users. The report highlighted that TikTok removes about 500,000 underage accounts each year, but it had already gathered and utilized their information for targeted advertising and personalized content.

Federal Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne noted, "Youth may be less aware of privacy risks, and susceptible to the techniques used to capture their attention, induce them to disclose certain information or adopt certain purchasing behaviours."

In response to the findings, TikTok has agreed to improve its communication regarding privacy measures and enhance its age-verification processes to prevent underage access. The privacy authorities plan to monitor TikTok's compliance with these commitments.

Concerns about TikTok's privacy practices have been heightened due to its parent company, ByteDance, and Chinese national security laws that may require cooperation with intelligence operations. The investigation underscores ongoing debates about the safety of children on social media platforms.