Written by Jermaine Magethe
When a child presses “record” on TikTok whether in Nairobi, Lagos, the US, or even a rural village, they usually don’t think much about it.
They might be recording a viral dance challenge, laughing with friends, or telling a short story. For the child, it’s just a fun moment or a way to express themselves online. But for TikTok, that moment is valuable data.
In January 2026, TikTok updated its Privacy Policy. While the changes were made during talks about U.S. ownership, their impact is global including on African children.
Images and videos are no longer treated as content but are analyzable environments.
Under the new policy, TikTok allows itself to collect faceprints and voiceprints from user videos. It can also scan objects, backgrounds, and surroundings to guess things like age, gender, and living conditions. This means a child’s bedroom, home, or neighborhood can quietly become a data source.
And for African children, whose data is often weakly protected by law enforcement makes this even more worrying.
We can’t ignore this concern especially as we mark Data Privacy Week (Jan 26–30).
TikTok’s policy allows the collection of very sensitive information such as race, religion, health details, sexuality, precise location and even identity documents.
Unlike passwords, biometric data cannot be changed. Once taken, it can stay in systems long after a child grows up.
Although these rules currently focus on the U.S., history shows that platform policies often become global standards. They usually arrive in Africa with little warning and almost no consultation.
This is why African regulators must act quickly.
The African Union’s Malabo Convention says personal data should only be collected when necessary and should not be excessive. Kenya’s 2025 Child Online Protection Guidelines also require platforms to be designed with children’s safety in mind.
To protect children, we urge the African Union and national regulators including the Communications Authority of Kenya to require the following:
- No biometric data from children by default
Platforms should be banned from collecting faceprints or voiceprints from minors unless it is absolutely necessary to protect the child.
- Public risk assessments
Companies must publish Data Protection Impact Assessments for any features that affect African children.
- Fast and enforced deletion
All drafts, metadata, and unused content from child accounts should be deleted within 24 hours by law.
African children are not data to be mined for global AI systems. They are rights-holders.
As we mark Data Privacy Week, we must remember that a video should be a voice, not a lifelong surveillance record. When a child presses to record, they should be sharing a moment not surrendering their future.
For Parents,
Think of TikTok’s new policy as a digital guest in your home.
Before, this guest mostly listened to what your child said. Now, the guest can look around your house, record your child’s unique voice, and remember it forever. This can happen even if the video is never posted.
Digital parenting is no longer just about limiting screen time. It’s about helping children understand that a camera is also a data doorway and what goes through it can follow them into adulthood.