A popular application for creating and sharing short videos TikTok faces growing concerns about how it approaches younger users. Now the British newspaper The Guardian, cited by Endgadget, has reported that the Italian data protection authority has blocked the app from users whose age cannot be verified in connection with the death of a 10-year-old girl who allegedly took part in the Blackout Challenge. Officials said it was too easy for children under 13 (the official minimum age to use TikTok) to log into the app using a fake date of birth, a move previously criticized by authorities in other countries.
The DPA (Data Protection Authority) also accused TikTok of violating an Italian law requiring parental consent when children under 14 log into the social network and objected to its privacy policy. The app allegedly does not clearly explain how long it keeps user data, how it anonymizes it and how it transfers it outside EU countries.
Blocking users whose age cannot be verified will last until February 15. Until then, TikTok, or rather its creator, the Chinese company ByteDance, must comply with the DPA.
A TikTok spokesperson did not say how the company would respond to the Italian authorities' requests. He only emphasized that security is an "absolute priority" for the app and that the company does not allow any content that "supports, promotes or glorifies unsafe behavior."
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