TikTok is planning to lay off hundreds of employees at its London office responsible for content moderation, Azernews reports, according to a report by the Financial Times.
The move was disclosed in an internal company email, which points to a strategic shift in the platform’s operational structure.
The email reportedly stated that TikTok is “considering that moderation and quality assurance work would no longer be carried out at our London site.” The announcement comes just weeks after key provisions of the UK’s Online Safety Act came into effect - laws that place strict demands on digital platforms to better protect users from harmful content.
Under the new legislation, social media companies are required to implement robust age verification systems for content flagged as potentially harmful. Non-compliance could result in fines of up to £18 million or 10% of global turnover - whichever is greater.
TikTok says the decision to restructure is part of a broader effort to centralize its operational capabilities. “These changes are intended to concentrate operational expertise in specific locations,” the company said, without specifying where those locations will be.
The move signals not only a response to growing regulatory pressure but also a shift in how TikTok plans to manage compliance and content safety at scale.
