Investigations have been launched into how three social media platforms handle UK children’s personal data.
TikTok, Reddit and Imgur are the subjects of investigations announced by the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) on March 3rd, 2025.
With children increasingly being shown inappropriate content through suggested items in their TikTok feeds, the ICO will look into how the platform uses personal data to make these recommendations. In addition, it will investigate age verification measures employed by Reddit and Imgur and examine how they use children’s data to serve content to them.
The ICO will assess whether any of the social media platforms are infringing UK data protection laws as part of its mission to ensure companies are designing digital services that protect children and have their best interests at heart.
Social media platform check
To gain an insight into how the various social media providers compare on data privacy, the ICO has published a table for easy reference, with details about age verification, advertising and geolocation.
