TikTok Failed To Protect Canadian Children, Investigation Finds

A joint investigation by Canada’s privacy commissioner, Philippe Dufresne, and privacy authorities found that TikTok failed to keep users under 13 off the app and even collected sensitive information from its underage users in the country. TikTok has agreed to improve its child-safety measures, according to Canadian officials.

Launched in 2023 and published on September 23, 2025, by federal privacy commissioners, as well as commissioners from the provinces of Quebec, Alberta, and British Columbia, the investigation showed that hundreds of thousands of Canadian children access the platform every year. In Quebec, the results showed that 40% of people between the ages of 6 to 17 had a TikTok account.

“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,” Dufresne said at a press conference.

“We were certainly struck by how elaborate a profiling that was being used by TikTok,” British Columbia Privacy Commissioner Michael Harvey said. “What information was being collected with these facial and voice analytics and how they were always being used in combination with [other data] to then to decide what content, including advertising, to feed back to them.”

Canada isn’t the only country battling with the platform’s lackluster efforts to keep underage children from accessing it, as clearly stated on its terms of service. On September 4, the Malaysian government called for TikTok to strengthen its age-verification measures.

According to Dufresne, TikTok has agreed to implement stronger age verification methods and to improve communications so users understand how their data is collected and used.

Specifically, some of the changes that the company agreed to during the investigation include stopping advertisers from targeting users under 18 and expanding the privacy information available for Canadian users.

“While we disagree with some of the findings, we remain committed to maintaining strong transparency and privacy practices,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement, but refused to elaborate on which findings the company disagreed with.

TikTok’s Chinese ownership has been a cause for concern for governments worldwide. The US has threatened to ban the app nationwide unless some of its ownership is divested to American companies, and EU institutions have banned staff from having the app on their phones.

In August, a US senator from Minnesota sued TikTok, claiming it “preys on young people” and encourages addiction.