The United Kingdom’s primary privacy regulator has initiated investigations into three prominent social media companies, focusing on their methods for safeguarding the privacy of minors on their platforms.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) made an announcement today regarding its investigation into TikTok’s use of personal information from 13- to 17-year-olds for video recommendations, prompted by growing concerns about the presentation of harmful content to young individuals.

Concurrently, the ICO is also examining how Reddit and Imgur evaluate the age of their users in the United Kingdom, as well as their utilization of children’s personal information.

Although it is still in the early stages, the ICO stated that it is assessing potential infringements of data protection legislation before determining its subsequent actions.

These investigations are part of a broader effort by U.K. authorities to regulate social media platforms. Last year, the regulatory body Ofcom initiated an investigation into OnlyFans due to alleged failures in age verification, although it terminated this investigation last month. In 2023, the ICO imposed a fine of $16 million on TikTok for providing services to children under the age of 13 without obtaining explicit parental consent for data processing.