United Kingdom · Children · 4 Apr 2023

TikTok drops appeal and pays £12.7m UK fine over under-13 users

£12.7 million fine

Company: TikTok
Regulator or court: Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
Law: UK GDPR (children's consent, lawfulness and transparency)
Status: Final (appeal withdrawn September 2026)

What happened

The ICO found that in 2020 large numbers of UK children under 13 were using TikTok, against its own rules, and their data was used without parental consent. TikTok did not do enough to find and remove underage users or to explain clearly how it used people's data. After losing an argument at the Upper Tribunal in August 2026, TikTok withdrew its appeal in September 2026 and agreed to pay.

Sources

ICO enforcement page ICO update, 24 September 2026

Summary in our own words. General information, not legal advice.

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