BRITAIN's data watchdog said it has fined TikTok GBP12.7 million (US$15.9 million) for breaching data protection law including by using the personal data of children aged under 13 without parental consent, reports Reuters.

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) estimated that TikTok allowed as many as 1.4 million British children under 13 to use its platform in 2020, even though it sets 13 as the minimum age to create an account.

The authority said the data breaches occurred between May 2018 and July 2020, with the Chinese-owned video app not having done enough to check who was using the platform and remove the underage children who were.

"There are laws in place to make sure our children are as safe in the digital world as they are in the physical world. TikTok did not abide by those laws," said information commissioner John Edwards.