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TikTok video app: Lots of funny videos - and some dangerous trends
Photo: Jens Kalaene / dpa-Zentralbild
The video app TikTok, which has many young users, has promised the authorities in Italy improved age controls and the expulsion of users under the age of 13.
In addition to these measures, TikTok is launching an information campaign on Thursday that is aimed at both parents and children, reports the data protection authority Garante in Rome.
TikTok confirmed an agreement with the authority in its own blog post on Wednesday.
About three weeks ago, a ten-year-old died in Palermo, Sicily - probably during a dangerous test of courage for the app on the Internet.
The Italian data protection authority then issued an ultimatum to TikTok.
The app will block access for all users in Italy from February 9 and only release it again after entering the date of birth, the authority now explained.
Anyone under 13 years of age will have their user account blocked.
Users can report to each other
The TikTok executives have also promised to use artificial intelligence to control the age of app users more intensively in the future.
A recently released button also enables TikTok users to report other users who they suspect are not yet 13 years old.
The 13-year age limit we are talking about is not new: TikTok has been officially usable only from the age of 13 for a long time.
Now it is obviously more about that this regulation is actually enforced in practice - by the app operators, but also with the help of parents who should be informed about this age limit.
Many young users of apps like TikTok like to make themselves older when they register.
This problem also affects competing services.
However, experts assume that Internet companies can definitely estimate the approximate age of users through an analysis of the uploaded videos and their behavior on the Internet.
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mbö / dpa
