Our team approaches KYC technology through the lens of real-world risk and the daily pressure faced by compliance officers.
Multiple reports say TikTok is surfacing AI-driven age checks in the U.S., flagging accounts it suspects are under 13 and restricting features until users verify with ID, selfie and/or credit card. TikTok hasn’t issued a U.S.-wide rollout notice.
TikTok confirms several age-confirmation paths (ID + selfies, selfie with ID via Incode, credit-card authorization, and facial age estimation through a third-party).
TikTok says it’s piloted AI age detection in the U.K. and plans broader expansion (EU first), removing ~6M under-13 accounts/month. U.S. expansion is inferred, not formally announced.
Hindustan Times aggregated user reports that accounts were flagged as under-age and features were limited pending age verification. Some adults say they were misclassified and had to upload ID and a selfie to recover access. TikTok did not confirm a U.S. launch in that piece.
In an October update, TikTok outlined a “multi-layered” age-assurance program: age gates at sign-up, AI models that infer age from signals (e.g., profile imagery, content), human review teams, and plans to expand AI detection tested in the U.K. to more markets after regulatory engagement.
Separately, TikTok’s help pages list how age checks work in practice — including ID + three selfies, selfie-with-ID via Incode, credit card authorization, and facial age estimation by a third-party provider (selfie captured in real time; provider sends estimate and deletes the selfie).
BeVerified view: Treat this as targeted enforcement ramp-up, not a confirmed U.S. “big-bang” release — but the friction is real for users and creators. Build playbooks now.
- False positives = real harm. Creators locked out of LIVE or Shop risk revenue loss; appeals require hard identifiers that many users don’t want to share.
- Words matter: “Age verification,” “age estimation,” and “age assurance” are not the same thing — and each has different privacy and accuracy trade-offs. (EFF’s primer is handy.)
- Regulatory pressure: TikTok’s push fits a wider pattern of age-assurance crackdowns across markets; official comms emphasize EU-first expansion, with the U.S. picture shaped by platform risk tolerance and policy headwinds
What we know vs. what we don’t
Known
- Users in the U.S. are reporting flags and feature restrictions pending age proof.
- TikTok’s official age-confirmation methods include ID/selfies, Incode selfie-with-ID, credit card, and facial age estimation.
- TikTok confirms AI age detection pilots (U.K.) and intention to roll out more widely (EU discussed with regulators).
Unknown
- Whether an official U.S. rollout has quietly started platform-wide (no newsroom post says so).
- Exact false-positive rates and redress times for wrongly flagged adults.
Tools & shortlists on BeVerified
- Need a vendor for document + selfie flows with liveness? See our KYCAID review — strong selfie/ID capture and developer-friendly checks for UGC platforms.
- Looking at UK/US Right to Work or creator payouts that hinge on verified age/identity? Our GBG review covers high-volume employer checks and data governance.
