Adds details and background from paragraph 2 onwards

July 16 (Reuters) - Britain's media regulator on Thursday launched a probe into TikTok to understand whether its UK unit failed or is failing to protect children from harmful content.

The probe comes a month after the government imposed a blanket ban on social media for users under the age of 16 and imposed restrictions on gaming and live-streaming platforms.

Here are some details and context on the regulator's probe into TikTok:

• Ofcom will probe whether the platform has measures to assess if a particular user is a child and adequate systems and processes to prevent children from viewing harmful content.

• In May, the regulator said TikTok had failed to set out meaningful steps to protect British children from harmful online content.

• The opening of an investigation does not mean that Ofcom has reached any conclusion about whether the provider has breached its duties, Ofcom said.

• TikTok did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.