On September 23 and 24, 2025, Canadian privacy officials announced that TikTok, the wildly popular short-video platform, has agreed to strengthen its protections for children following a sweeping investigation that found its efforts to keep underage users off the app—and to protect their personal data—were sorely lacking. The joint probe, led by Canada’s federal privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne and privacy authorities in Quebec, British Columbia, and Alberta, uncovered that hundreds of thousands of Canadian children accessed TikTok every year, despite the company’s stated policy prohibiting users under 13.
The investigation, which has drawn significant attention both in Canada and globally, determined that TikTok was not only failing to adequately block underage users, but was also collecting and using their sensitive personal information for marketing and content targeting. As Dufresne explained in a press conference, "TikTok collects vast amounts of personal information about its users, including children. This data is being used to target the content and ads that users see, which can have harmful impacts, particularly on youth." According to the BBC, the findings revealed that the platform’s safeguards were simply not up to par, and that the risks posed to young Canadians were considerable.
While TikTok maintains that its platform is not intended for children under 13, the reality on the ground painted a different picture. The joint investigation found that, year after year, a large number of Canadian children were able to bypass the platform’s age restrictions and gain access to the app. Privacy officials described TikTok’s age-verification systems as inadequate, with significant deficiencies in preventing the collection and use of personal information from young users.
In response to these findings, TikTok has agreed to a suite of changes. According to statements from the privacy commissioners and as reported by Reuters, the company has committed to enhancing its age-assurance methods—essentially, beefing up the systems that verify users’ ages to better prevent underage access. TikTok will also improve its communication practices, ensuring that all users, and especially younger audiences, have a clearer understanding of how their personal data may be collected, used, and shared.
The company also agreed to implement changes during the course of the investigation. These include preventing advertisers from targeting users under 18, except by broad categories such as language and approximate location, and expanding the privacy information available to Canadian users. As Dufresne emphasized, the changes are intended to "strengthen our platform for Canadians" and to give users more transparency and control over their data.
Yet, TikTok did not entirely accept the conclusions of the Canadian investigation. In a statement to the BBC, a TikTok spokesperson said, "While we disagree with some of the findings, we remain committed to maintaining strong transparency and privacy practices." The company did not specify which findings it disputed, but expressed satisfaction that Canadian officials had "agreed to a number of our proposals to further strengthen our platform." TikTok’s willingness to work with regulators appears to be a pragmatic move, especially as scrutiny of the platform mounts worldwide.
Canada’s action is part of a broader global reckoning with TikTok’s data practices and the unique risks posed by its Chinese ownership. The app is owned by ByteDance Ltd., a Beijing-based technology firm, and this connection has fueled fears among governments that TikTok could be used by China to access sensitive user data or advance its strategic interests. According to StratNews Global, the European Union’s two largest policy-making institutions have banned TikTok from staff phones, and the US Senate passed a bill to bar federal employees from using the app on government devices. In 2023, the European Commission ordered staff to remove TikTok from their phones and corporate devices, citing the need to "protect data and increase cybersecurity."
In North America, the issue has become entangled with geopolitics. US President Donald Trump has been negotiating with Chinese authorities about a deal that could see TikTok’s American operations transferred to a group of US-owned companies. Meanwhile, Ottawa launched its own review of TikTok’s plans to invest and expand in Canada in 2023, which led to a government order requiring the company to end its Canadian operations due to national security concerns—a decision TikTok is currently challenging.
For Canadian families, the findings of the investigation are likely to resonate deeply. The sheer scale of underage access—hundreds of thousands of children annually—underscores just how pervasive TikTok’s reach has become among youth. The platform’s ability to collect, analyze, and monetize personal data, including that of children, has raised alarms not only about privacy, but also about the potential psychological and social impacts of targeted content and advertising. As Dufresne pointed out, "This data is being used to target the content and ads that users see, which can have harmful impacts, particularly on youth."
In response to the investigation, TikTok has promised to implement improved systems to keep children off both its website and mobile application. The company has also agreed to expand the amount of privacy information available to Canadian users and to restrict the targeting of users under 18 by advertisers. These commitments, if fully realized, could mark a significant step forward in protecting the privacy and well-being of Canadian youth online.
Still, skepticism remains. As privacy experts and child advocates have long warned, technological solutions to age verification are notoriously difficult to get right, and determined young users often find ways to circumvent restrictions. Moreover, the question of how effectively TikTok will enforce its new policies—and how rigorously Canadian authorities will monitor compliance—remains open.
Canada’s probe into TikTok is only the latest in a series of global efforts to rein in the power of social media giants and to safeguard the privacy of children in the digital age. With TikTok’s influence continuing to grow, and with concerns about foreign interference and data security ever-present, the outcome of these regulatory battles will have far-reaching implications—not just for Canadian children, but for young users around the world.
As the dust settles from this investigation, all eyes will be on TikTok to see whether it can truly deliver on its promises of stronger protections and greater transparency—or whether further government action will be needed to keep the youngest users safe in the fast-changing world of social media.
