TikTok has committed to stronger safeguards for children’s privacy and safety in Canada following a joint investigation by federal and provincial privacy regulators. The inquiry — led by Canada’s Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne alongside authorities from Quebec, British Columbia, and Alberta — found that TikTok’s age-verification and data protection measures were inadequate, allowing hundreds of thousands of under-13 users to access the platform.
Investigators also determined that TikTok collected sensitive personal information from Canadian children and used it to tailor content and advertising. “TikTok collects vast amounts of personal information about its users, including children. This data is used to target content and ads, which can be harmful to youth,” Dufresne said.
In response, TikTok has agreed to:
- Enhance age-assurance tools to keep underage users off the platform.
- Improve transparency so young users better understand how their data is collected and used.
- Limit advertising to minors, restricting targeted ads to broad, non-sensitive categories such as language and approximate location.
- Expand privacy resources available to Canadian users.
A TikTok spokesperson said the company is “pleased” with the progress but noted it disagrees with some findings while remaining committed to transparency and user privacy.
The move comes amid growing global scrutiny of TikTok’s data practices and ownership ties to Chinese parent company ByteDance. Governments in the EU, U.S., and Canada have tightened security measures, including banning the app on official devices and reviewing its national security implications.
This agreement marks a significant step in Canada’s efforts to hold digital platforms accountable for protecting minors and safeguarding user privacy.
