The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has called out prominent online platforms for failing to take concrete steps in implementing effective age assurance policies.
The UK’s regulatory regime has made preventing children from accessing potentially harmful or inappropriate content and having their private data accessed a top priority, with the ICO acting a key player in encouraging age assurance schemes are built into popular services.
The data regulator wrote to a handful of major platforms in March, including Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and X, calling for urgent reviews of their age assurance methods.
Now two months later the regulator said that while “some services are taking, or considering taking, additional steps to protect children”, so far “none have yet introduced new, viable and privacy friendly age assurance solutions”.
The ICO said it does “not yet have confidence that appropriate measures are being put in place” and is “concerned that underage children’s data is still being processed on platforms they should not be on or able to access”.
It noted that its engagement with these platforms has not yet concluded, but more must be done and done much faster.
“Our message to platforms is simple – modern technology is at your fingertips. If you determine that your service is only suitable for children over a certain age, you must have effective age assurance measures in place,” the ICO said.
“We are considering our next steps, and are ready to use the full range of regulatory powers available to us, such as formal investigations and sanctions.”
