The British authority, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), has finalized a monetary penalty against TikTok following the company's withdrawal of its legal appeals.

TikTok withdrew its appeal against a £12.7 million fine (approximately €14.6 million) imposed in 2023, thereby making the sanction final. The fine penalized multiple violations of data protection law, notably the unlawful use of children's personal data. The ICO had estimated that in 2020, up to 1.75 million children under 13 in the UK were using the platform, despite the company's rules. The identified breaches included the lack of adequate age verification, failure to provide clear information on data collection and use, as well as the absence of parental consent. The withdrawal of the appeal follows a decision by the High Court that rejected TikTok's argument that the processing was for artistic purposes.

At the same time, TikTok also withdrew its appeal against an ICO communication injunction. This injunction is part of a separate investigation, initiated in February 2025, concerning how the company processes personal data of 13-17 year olds within its recommendation systems. TikTok's appeal had suspended the authority's investigations, which can now resume to examine concerns related to the dissemination of inappropriate or harmful content to young users through these systems.