TikTok to strengthen age-verification technology across EU

A picture


TikTok will begin to roll out new age-verification technology across the EU in the coming weeks, as calls grow for an Australia-style social media ban for under-16s in countries including the UK,ByteDance-owned TikTok, and other major platforms popular with young people such as YouTube, are coming under increasing pressure to better identify and remove accounts belonging to children,The system, which has been quietly piloted in the EU over the past year, analyses profile information, posted videos and behavioural signals to predict whether an account may be belong to a user under the age of 13,As well as analysing information the account holder provides about themselves, the technology looks at behaviour such as the videos a user publishes, and “other on-platform behaviour”,TikTok said accounts flagged by the system would be reviewed by specialist moderators rather than face an automatic ban, and may then be removed.

It also said users would have an opportunity to appeal against the removal of an account if an error had been made.Options for age identification offered by TikTok during the appeal process include facial age estimation by the verification company Yoti, credit card authorisation or government-approved identification.The European pilot led to the removal of thousands of accounts.The rollout of the system comes as European authorities scrutinise how platforms verify users’ ages under data protection rules.TikTok said its system complied with data and privacy laws.

“The prediction of the likelihood that someone is under the age of 13 is not used for purposes other than to decide whether to send an account to human moderators and to monitor and improve the technology,” the company said in a blogpost,“By adopting this approach, we are able to deliver safety for teens in a privacy-preserving manner,We take our responsibility to protect our community, and teens in particular, incredibly seriously,”It said other features to protect younger users on its service included not allowing under-16s to direct-message, while under-18s have a 60-minute screen-time limit and do not receive notifications “after bed time”,Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, also uses Yoti to verify users’ ages on Facebook.

In December, Australia implemented a social media ban for people under the age of 16.On Thursday, the country’s eSafety commissioner revealed that more than 4.7m accounts had been removed across 10 platforms – including YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Snap and Facebook – since the ban was implemented on 10 December.Earlier this week, Keir Starmer told MPs he was open to a social media ban for young people in the UK after becoming concerned about the amount of time children and teenagers were spending on their smartphones.The prime minister told Labour MPs he had become alarmed at reports of five-year-olds spending hours in front of screens each day, as well as increasingly worried about the damage social media was doing to under-16s.

Starmer has previously opposed banning social media for children, believing such a move would be difficult to police and could push teenagers towards the dark web.Earlier this month, Ellen Roome, whose 14-year-old son Jools Sweeney died after an online challenge went wrong, called for more rights for parents to access social media accounts of their children if they die.The European parliament is pushing for age limits on social media, while Denmark wants to ban social media for those under 15.TikTok told Reuters the new technology was built specifically to comply with the EU’s regulatory requirements.The company has worked with Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, its lead EU privacy regulator, while developing the system.

In 2023, a Guardian investigation found that moderators were being told to allow under-13s to stay on the platform if they claimed their parents were overseeing their accounts,
A picture

How to turn any root vegetables into latkes – recipe | Waste not

It’s not just potatoes that you can turn into these moreish fried cakes – just about any root veg will do the trickCrisp, savoury and satiating latkes are my idea of the perfect brunch and, rather than sticking to potatoes, I often make them with a mixture of root vegetables, using up whatever I have to hand – just 25-50g of any vegetable will make a latke – and adding some ground linseeds or flax, which gives breakfast some nutrition-boosting omega-3s. I usually have them with a poached egg for protein or apple compote and soya yoghurt.This is a great way to use up any tired root vegetables lurking in the crisper drawer, and a recipe I come back to again and again. Latkes are a traditional Jewish potato cake that work really well made with other root vegetables as well. If I have a few different coloured vegetables, I will grate and mix the vegetables separately to make multicoloured latkes, but it’s much simpler to mix them all together

A picture

Eleven quick and easy summer weekday dinners, from pasta to Maggi goreng – recipes

(Pictured above)Rukmini Iyer’s recipe contains a microwave method for cooking rice, but I’ve successfully made basmati in a rice cooker countless times – just pop the whole garlic clove in with the rice grains. After that, it’s only a matter of stir-frying the cashews, broccoli and tofu. If you need more convincing, Iyer says this recipe was “an absolute hit with my children”. My own children happily mainline tofu and rice, and can be persuaded to have broccoli if I tell them they’re actually eating mini Christmas trees, so I believe her.There are many ways to level up your instant noodles, and this recipe follows a familiar formula: add greens for health and a fried egg for protein

A picture

January tips if you’re cooking for one | Kitchen aide

I really struggle with cooking for one, so what can I make in January that’s interesting but easy and, most importantly, warming?Jane, via email “There’s an art to the perfect solo meal,” says Bonnie Chung, author of Miso: From Japanese Classics to Everyday Umami, “and that’s balancing decadence with ease.” For Chung, that means good-quality ingredients (“tinned anchovies, jarred beans”), a dish that can be cooked in one pan (“a night alone must be maximised with minimal washing-up”) and eaten with a single piece of cutlery, “preferably in front of the telly and out of a bowl nestling in your lap”. Happily, she says, all of those requirements are met by miso udon carbonara: “It has all the rich and creamy nirvana of a cheesy pasta, but with a delicious, mochi-like chew that is incredibly satisfying.” Not only that, but you can knock it up in less than 10 minutes. “Melt cheese, milk and miso in a pan to make the sauce base, then add frozen udon that have been soaked in hot water

A picture

Cheesy celeriac souffle and citrus salad: Thomasina Miers’ recipes to brighten a dark winter’s day

There is a skill in not wasting food and it’s all about good, old-fashioned housekeeping. If you learn how to store ingredients properly (cool, dark places are handy for spuds, for example) and keep tabs on what’s in your fridge/freezer, you can use everything up before it goes off – and make delicious things in the process. This golden, cheese-crusted souffle uses up the celeriac and spuds left after the festive season, plus any odds and ends of cheeses. It is spectacularly good, especially paired with a sparkling citrus salad.Sweet onions, soft roots and lots of cheese rise into a light, golden souffle with none of the fuss of making a bechamel

A picture

Georgina Hayden’s quick and easy recipe for antipasti beans on toast | Quick and easy

Perhaps you still have some cheeseboard odds and sods in the fridge from Christmas? I know I still have a few to get through, but, other than that, my fridge and cupboards are looking pretty bare. Beans on toast has always been my go-to meal in times such as these, and when I need comfort, familiarity and ease. What used to involve opening a tin and reheating the contents, however, has now become something slightly more elaborate. But only slightly: these beans are incredibly simple and quick to make, with store-bought antipasti adding real depth.I like to use about one third pitted olives to a mix of sun-dried tomatoes and artichokes, but use whichever ratio and vegetables you have to hand

A picture

West African sunshine dishes: Toyo Odetunde’s chicken yassa pot pie and stuffed plantain boats – recipes

If there’s anything that can assuage my winter blues, it’s a soul-soothing chicken pie. I’ve long enjoyed innovating fusions between west African and other cuisines, and today’s marriage of a deeply flavourful Senegalese chicken yassa-inspired filling in buttery, flaky puff pastry is one of my all-time favourites. But, first, my take on hearty Nigerian stewed beans – ewa riro – using tinned beans for added convenience. Typically paired with ripe plantain, I use the rich beans to fill canoas (plantain boats) in a playful, Latin American-inspired twist.Dried prawns and west African red palm oil, which are integral to our cooking (and the latter is not to be confused with those industrial palm oils that are driving mass deforestation), give this dish its signature umami and uniquely earthy and subtly sweet flavour