The United Kingdom’s data protection authority has initiated investigations into three well-known social media organizations, focusing on their methods of safeguarding children’s privacy on their individual platforms.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) revealed its plans today to scrutinize TikTok’s handling of personal data belonging to users aged between 13 and 17. This comes amid increasing concerns about the potential exposure of harmful content to young audiences through the platform’s video recommendation systems.

Simultaneously, the ICO is also examining Reddit and Imgur’s age verification processes for their UK users and how they utilize children’s personal data.

Although it’s still early in the process, the ICO stated that they are assessing if there have been any violations of data protection laws prior to determining their next course of action.

These investigations are part of a larger initiative by UK authorities to ensure social media platforms are adhering to regulations. OnlyFans was under investigation by regulator Ofcom in the previous year due to purported failures in age verification, though this investigation was recently discontinued. Furthermore, in 2023, TikTok was penalized with a $16 million fine by the ICO for offering services to children under 13 without obtaining clear parental permission for data processing.