Ofcom has launched a child safety investigation into TikTok's UK operations, prompting urgent calls for parents to review their children's account settings. The probe, announced on July 16, 2026, examines whether the platform has failed to adequately protect children from harmful content under the Online Safety Act.
Ofcom Investigation Details
The investigation follows warnings issued on May 21, 2026, when Ofcom stated that TikTok and YouTube had not committed to meaningful changes to reduce harmful content shown to children. An Ofcom report revealed that 73% of 11 to 17-year-olds had been exposed to harmful content over a four-week period, with personalised feeds described as "still not safe enough."
The probe also coincides with reports that the UK plans to introduce a voluntary midnight to 6am social media curfew for 16 and 17-year-olds from spring 2027, alongside restrictions on addictive features such as autoplay and endless feeds.
Expert Advice for Parents
Tech expert Ed Stapleton from Clicks Geek urges parents to act immediately. "This Ofcom investigation should be a prompt for parents to open TikTok settings today, not later in the year," he said. "Parents often assume an app is safe because their child has had it for months without an obvious problem. But TikTok is built around personalised recommendations, and that means the content a child sees can change quickly."
TikTok has invested billions into online safety since launching in the UK in 2017. A TikTok spokesperson told the BBC: "We strictly enforce age-appropriate experiences through expert-informed platform rules and advanced age inference technologies, in line with major industry peers."
Key Settings to Check
Family Pairing
Stapleton advises parents to check if Family Pairing is enabled. This feature lets a parent link their account to their teen's and manage screen time, content preferences, and privacy controls. TikTok confirms that screen time limits are activated by default for users aged 13 to 17, with a daily cap of one hour, but parents can modify these via Family Pairing.
"A screen time limit only helps if parents know it is there, know what it is set to, and talk to their child about it," Stapleton said. "If your child is using TikTok late at night, during homework, or secretly on another account, the setting alone will not solve the problem."
Restricted Mode and Direct Messages
Parents should also enable Restricted Mode, which reduces exposure to mature content. When activated, certain features like the Following feed, live streaming, and gifting become unavailable. Parents can control this via Family Pairing.
"Restricted Mode is not a perfect shield, but it is still a setting parents should know about," Stapleton said. "Parents should also look at direct messages. Who can message your child? Can strangers contact them? Are comments open to everyone? Can other people duet or stitch their videos? Those settings can affect who interacts with them."
He recommends checking whether the child's account is public or private, who can see liked videos, who can mention them, and whether videos can be downloaded. "A private account is usually a safer default for younger users," he added.
Checking for Multiple Accounts
Stapleton warns that children may have more than one account. "The uncomfortable truth is that some children have more than one account. A parent might check the account they know about, but the child may also have a second profile with different settings, different followers, and a very different feed." He advises having an honest conversation about multiple accounts and their settings.
Experts also recommend examining search history, watch history, and content preferences, as these influence the algorithm. "Parents should not only ask, 'What are you posting?' They should ask, 'What is TikTok showing you?' That is often the more important question," Stapleton said.
Immediate Steps for Parents
Stapleton suggests a straightforward safety check: update the app, navigate to Settings and privacy, and review Family Pairing, screen time limits, Restricted Mode, direct messages, comments, account privacy, downloads, mentions, and content preferences. Verify whether the child has more than one account and that the age registered is correct.
"The goal is not to frighten children or make them feel watched every second. The goal is to make sure the settings match their age, maturity, and the family's expectations," he said. "Parents should explain why they are checking the settings. This is not about taking TikTok away from every teenager. It is about reducing unnecessary risks and making sure children know what to do if something upsetting appears."
He also advises establishing a straightforward agreement: if a video, message, or comment leaves a child feeling uneasy, they should feel comfortable showing an adult without immediate fear of having their phone confiscated. "Children are less likely to ask for help if they think the first response will be punishment. The best safety setting is still an open conversation."
"Given the Ofcom investigation and the wider push for tighter online safety rules, this is exactly the moment for parents to check TikTok properly. Do it today, while it is in the news, rather than waiting until something has already gone wrong," Stapleton concluded.
