The days of just putting in a fake birth year on TikTok are over, because it looks like the platform is asking for age verification in the United States. A few users are reporting that there are age checks, with a creator getting a threat of account deletion over this.
Since TikTok has not confirmed how it is doing the initial checks, we can’t verify that this is done by AI at all. TikTok does use AI to point out some issues to moderators, but I doubt it is solely AI being used to catch users. I was a moderator for TikTok, and at the time, humans were the ones making sure that users were the appropriate age when posting content. However, not every moderator knows every single creator, and many times it’s about going on looks, voice, and personality alone.
KreekCraft is a YouTuber who focuses on Roblox, which is targeted at children. There are many Roblox YouTubers and TikTokers who are underage. KreekCraft looks young and makes videos for a younger demographic. A human moderator not looking too closely could mistake him for an underage user, and since AI-based systems are far from perfect, the account could also set off automated age checks.
There’s nothing wrong with giving a time limit to verify your age, and safety is why this extra step is needed. TikTok has to act whenever the site may suspect someone is too young because it does not ask for proof when signing up. The United States has many ways of requiring children to be protected online, and so these steps are necessary.
There are two other bigger names,fearbuckandraphouseTV, which have reported TikTok asking for ID and credit card information. In this case, they did not say anything about being under 13, so this may be a system that is rolling out to bigger creators who have not been verified.
If you look or act under 13 and haven’t verified your profile, you’ll get restrictions until you verify. This means removing your ability to post new videos, go live, or even use the TikTok Shop. For anyone who uses TikTok to make a living, this is a huge blow. To get all those features back, you have to submit a government-issued ID or a credit card, along with a selfie, to prove you’re an adult.
Since the United Kingdom is pushingage verificationfor many websites, it’s not hard to imagine that social media platforms would do so for other countries to get ahead of any laws being proposed. It’s a good idea to verify if you plan on being a creator, but this may soon be a restriction for anyone who plans on posting at all.
