The U.K.'s Office of Communications, or Ofcom, launched an investigation into short video platform TikTok to prevent children from accessing harmful content, such as pornography, the regulator said in a Thursday press release.
The probe is part of the government's scheme to introduce a social media ban for children under 16 years of age.
Ofcom said age checks are being deployed across social media, gaming and dating sites, as well as pornography webpages.
TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based firm ByteDance, did not immediately reply to' request for comment.
The regulator said 8% of children attempt to access porn, but only half of them were able to reach sites with age checks in place, while those who were able to access porn sites were able to do so through search engines.