TikTok to strengthen age-verification technology across EU

Move comes as calls for Australia-style social media ban for under-16s grow around world

The rollout of the new TikTok system comes as European authorities scrutinise how platforms verify users’ ages under data protection rules.

TikTok will begin to roll out new age-verification technology across the EU in the coming weeks, as calls for an Australia-style social media ban for under-16s grow in countries including the UK.

ByteDance-owned TikTok, and other major platforms popular with young people such as YouTube, are coming under increasing pressure to better identify and remove accounts belonging to children.