Canada’s Privacy Commissioner Says TikTok Collected Children’s Sensitive Data

An investigation by Canada’s Privacy Commissioner has found that TikTok’s tools to keep children off its platform were insufficient, and that the social media platform site collected sensitive data from young users.

“Our investigation found that the measures that TikTok had in place to keep children off the popular video-sharing platform and to prevent the collection and use of their sensitive personal information for profiling and content targeting purposes were inadequate,” Privacy Commissioner of Canada Philippe Dufresne said during a Sept. 23 press conference.

Dufresne, who announced the findings of the joint investigation by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner and its Alberta, Quebec, and B.C. counterparts, said TikTok collects “vast amounts of personal information about its users,” including biometric information. It uses that data to target the content and advertisements that users see, but Defresne said this information is not sufficiently used to keep children off the platform.

The privacy commissioner said the targeted ads and content can have a negative impact on children, because they are less aware of privacy risks and are more susceptible to techniques used to capture their attention or force them to “adopt certain purchasing behaviours.”

Dufresne said TikTok needs to do more to keep young children off its app, while also better explaining its data-collecting practices. He said TikTok has agreed to “enhance age-assurance methods” to keep underage youth off the platform, while also helping users to understand how their data is used.

TikTok’s terms of service says users younger than 13 are prohibited from using the platform. In Quebec, that age is 14.

The investigation of TikTok was launched to determine whether the app obtained “valid and meaningful consent” from users for the collection and use of personal information.

The report found that the company collected the personal information of a “large number of Canadian children,” including information that the offices consider to be sensitive. This can include users’ health, political opinions, gender identity, and sexual orientation.

The privacy commissioners noted that TikTok’s advertising portal showed the potential for advertisers to target users based on their transgender status, a function TikTok had said was impossible.

“Ultimately, the Offices found that TikTok was collecting and using the personal information of children with no legitimate need or bona fide interest, and that its practices were therefore inappropriate,” the report said.

The privacy commissioner’s investigation comes as U.S. President Donald Trump is making a deal to prevent TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, from ceasing operation in the United States.

Trump has pushed for the United States to achieve ownership of TikTok, including bringing the platform’s algorithm under control of a new joint venture in the United States. He is expected to sign an executive order this week extending the deadline to make a deal by 120 more days.

The proposed deal is linked to concerns about TikTok’s algorithm making inappropriate recommendations such as self-harm videos and suppressing criticism of the Chinese Community Party (CCP).

The CCP also has laws requiring entities operating in China to share data with the regime on demand, without requiring them to disclose such requests. These cybersecurity concerns led Congress to pass a law in 2024 that would prohibit any foreign adversary from controlling apps with more than 1 million monthly active users.

The Canadian government in 2023 banned the use of TikTok on all government devices, citing concerns with security.