In a statement, the regulator said that although TikTok had
committed to ban registration for children aged under 13, it was nonetheless
easy to circumvent this rule.
As a result, it said TikTok had to block unverified user
accounts until at least February 15 awaiting further information.
There was no immediate response from TikTok, which is owned
by China's ByteDance and has been rapidly growing in popularity around the
world, particularly amongst teenagers.
The ruling came after a girl died of asphyxiation in
Palermo, Sicily, in a case that has shocked Italy.
Her parents said she had been participating in a so-called
blackout challenge on TikTok, putting a belt around her neck and holding her
breath while recording herself on her phone.
Prosecutors have opened an investigation into possible
incitement to suicide and are looking to see whether someone invited her to
take part in the challenge.
"The watchdog decided to intervene as a matter of
urgency following the terrible case of the 10-year-old girl from Palermo,"
the authority said.
It said TikTok was banned from "further processing user
data for which there is no absolute certainty of age and, consequently, of
compliance with the provisions related to the age requirement".
An official said this meant that users of unverified
accounts would no longer be able to upload videos or interact with other people
on the platform.
The watchdog said it had raised concerns with TikTok in
December over what it called a series of violations, including allegations the
firm had failed to protect minors.
It added that it had told the authorities in Ireland about
its decision because TikTok has announced that it would run its European
operations out of Dublin.
© Reuters
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