September 23,2025
RED FM News Desk
A joint investigation by Canadian privacy commissioners has found that TikTok’s safeguards to keep children off its platform were mostly ineffective, and the app was collecting sensitive personal data from underage users.
The probe, led by the federal privacy commissioner along with officials in Quebec, British Columbia, and Alberta, examined whether TikTok was obtaining “valid and meaningful” consent from younger users for the collection, use, and disclosure of their personal information.
Although TikTok’s rules prohibit children under 13 (14 in Quebec) from using the app, the report concluded that weak age-verification measures allowed the company to gather personal details from large numbers of Canadian children, including sensitive data. Investigators noted that TikTok removes about 500,000 underage users each year, but not before collecting and using their information to target ads and customize content.
The commissioners said TikTok has agreed to strengthen its age-verification systems, and federal privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne emphasized that his office and provincial counterparts will monitor the company’s compliance.
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