TikTok is set to roll out fresh age-verification technology across the European Union soon. This comes amid growing calls for bans on social media use by under-16s, including in the UK. The system, piloted quietly in the EU last year, uses profile data, videos, and behavior to spot accounts that might belong to users under 13. Accounts flagged by the system will be reviewed by specialist moderators before any removal, not banned automatically. TikTok said the UK pilot led to thousands of accounts being deleted. Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, uses a company called Yoti to verify ages on Facebook. In December, Australia banned under-16s from social media platforms. Since then, more than 4.7 million accounts have been removed across 10 platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Snap, and Facebook, according to Australia's eSafety commissioner. European authorities are closely watching how platforms verify user ages under data protection laws. UK Labour leader Keir Starmer recently told MPs he might support a social media ban for young people due to worries over excessive screen time. He said, "I had become alarmed at reports of five-year-olds spending hours in front of screens each day." Starmer had earlier opposed bans, citing enforcement difficulties and risk of pushing teens to the dark web. Elsewhere, the European Parliament pushes for age limits, and Denmark wants to ban social media use for under-15s. TikTok told Reuters that its new system was designed specifically to meet EU regulations and that it worked closely with Ireland’s Data Protection Commission. A 2023 Guardian report found TikTok moderators often allowed under-13s to stay on if they said their parents supervised their accounts. The rollout reflects a wave of concern over children's safety and screen time on social media across the globe.