TikTok has announced plans to create over 500 new jobs in the UK and open a second London office, celebrating a milestone of 30 million users in the country.
The Chinese-owned social media giant aims to expand its UK workforce to 3,000 employees this year, signalling a “deep commitment” to the UK market.
The new office, spanning 135,000 square feet, will be located in London’s Barbican and is scheduled to open in early next year. TikTok’s existing UK headquarters opened in Farringdon, London, in 2022.
The announcement coincides with TikTok’s revelation that it now boasts over 30 million monthly active users in the UK, making it their largest user base in Europe.
Adam Presser, director of TikTok UK and global head of operations and trust and safety, said: “Whether through direct investment in jobs and innovation, or the wider economic contribution from millions of British businesses on TikTok, we’re pleased to be increasing our investment and presence here in the UK, an important hub for TikTok.”
But it comes after Cabinet minister Pete Kyle signalled he was looking at measures to restrict the amount of time children spend on their phones, including through a possible 10pm curfew.
Mr Kyle was asked on Sunday morning whether he would look at limiting the time children spend on social media to two hours per app after the Sunday People and Mirror reported the measure was being considered by ministers.
The Online Safety Act has passed into law, and from this year will require tech platforms to follow new Ofcom-issued codes of practice to keep users safe online, particularly children.
Hefty fines and site blockages are among the penalties for those caught breaking the rules, but many critics have argued the approach gives tech firms too much scope to regulate themselves.
TikTok’s Mr Presser said that, as well as its UK expansion plans, the group also invests “significantly” in safety.
He said: “What underpins our continued growth is our deep commitment to safety and to creating an enjoyable and secure digital space to sustainably support creators, entrepreneurs and the wider economy, which is why we also invest significantly in safety.”
TikTok first launched its UK operations in 2018 and is financially incorporated in Britain.
The group was fined 530 million euro (£446 million) by the Irish data protection watchdog last month for breaching EU privacy rules around transferring user data to China.
The video-sharing app was also sanctioned for not being transparent with users about where personal data was being sent and ordered the platform to comply with data protection rules within six months.
TikTok said it would appeal against the decision.
The social media giant, which is owned by China-based ByteDance, has been under scrutiny from regulators around the world over how it handles personal data, and is also facing a ban in the United States over its China links, which the US government has said is a national security issue.
