EU accuses TikTok of failing to protect minors’ safety
The European Commission has found that TikTok’s policies for minors do not meet the safety standards of the Digital Services Act, potentially leading to a fine up to 6% of annual revenue.
The European Commission (EC) has formally accused TikTok of not complying with the Digital Services Act (DSA) regarding the safety and privacy of minor users. According to the EC’s preliminary findings, TikTok allows minors to set their accounts to public, exposing their content to anyone on the platform. Furthermore, the platform’s algorithm recommends content from users aged 16–17 in the “For You” feed, which the EC says could lead to unwanted contact from potential predators, cyberbullying, or other harmful interactions.
The DSA requires that platforms accessible to minors ensure a high level of privacy, safety, and security. The EC argues that TikTok’s current default settings fail to meet this standard by making minors’ accounts too widely visible. To address these issues, the EC recommends that TikTok set minors’ accounts to private by default—visible only to friends—and stop recommending their content in the “For You” feed.
TikTok now has the opportunity to respond to the EC’s findings. If the commission decides that TikTok has violated the DSA, it could impose a fine of up to 6% of the company’s gross annual revenue. This is not the first time the EC has taken action against TikTok; earlier this year, the platform was accused of using addictive design features such as infinite scroll and autoplay. Outside the EU, UK regulator Ofcom has also stated that TikTok is not effective enough at preventing harmful content from reaching children.
