Statement by the Privacy Commissioner of Canada regarding a joint investigation of TikTok
September 23, 2025
Ottawa, Ontario
Privacy Commissioner of Canada Philippe Dufresne today issued the following statement regarding a joint investigation of TikTok.
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Good afternoon and thank you for joining us. I am pleased to be here with my colleagues from Quebec, British Columbia, and Alberta to share the findings of our joint investigation.
TikTok is one of the most popular social media applications in Canada – and the one that is most used by Canadian children and teens.
TikTok collects vast amounts of personal information about its users, including children. This data is being used to target the content and ads that users see, which can have harmful impacts, particularly on youth.
Despite the fact that the application uses the information that it collects, including biometric information, to estimate users’ ages for its own business purposes, 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.
Online marketing practices and content targeting can have significant impacts on children’s well-being. Youth may be less aware of privacy risks, and susceptible to the techniques used to capture their attention, induce them to disclose certain information, or adopt certain purchasing behaviours.
This investigation also uncovered the extent to which personal information is being collected and used, often without a user’s knowledge or consent.
We found that TikTok must do more to keep underage children off its platform.
It must also better explain its data practices, especially to youth, so that they can meaningfully assess and consent to TikTok’s collection and use of their personal information.
In response to the findings and recommendations, TikTok has agreed to enhance age-assurance methods to keep underage users off TikTok. It has also agreed to strengthen privacy communications to ensure that users, and in particular younger users, understand how their data could be used.
This investigation underscores important considerations for any organization subject to Canadian privacy laws that designs and develops services, particularly those that may be popular with younger users.
As technology plays an increasingly central role in the lives of young people in Canada, we must put their best interests at the forefront so that they are enabled to safely navigate the digital world.
We know that data is used to fuel innovation and generate revenue; innovation and revenue must also be used to protect data, especially when it comes to children.
Championing children’s privacy is a strategic priority for me as Privacy Commissioner of Canada.
The ultimate goal of our investigation was to create a safer, more transparent online environment for children, where they feel empowered to exercise their privacy rights and where they can safely explore, learn, and grow without compromising their privacy or security.
I would now like to invite my colleagues to further discuss our findings.
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