The European Commission has issued preliminary findings against TikTok under the Digital Services Act, identifying significant gaps in how the platform protects children. The regulatory action focuses on default privacy settings for minors and the discoverability of their accounts, marking another step in the EU's enforcement of its digital safety rules.
The Commission's investigation centers on TikTok's handling of accounts belonging to users under 18. Currently, many teen accounts default to public visibility, allowing anyone on the platform to view their content. European regulators argue this setting exposes minors to unnecessary risks and fails to provide adequate protection from unwanted contact or attention from strangers.
Specific concerns include the recommendation algorithm's treatment of content posted by minors. The Commission wants TikTok to prevent videos created by children from appearing in the For You feed, which serves personalized content recommendations to users across the platform. Additionally, regulators noted that even accounts set to private remain discoverable through the public following lists of other users, creating a backdoor method for identifying and potentially targeting young users.
The preliminary findings represent an early stage in the DSA enforcement process. TikTok now has the opportunity to respond to the Commission's concerns and propose remedies. If the company fails to address these issues satisfactorily, it could face fines of up to 6 percent of its global annual revenue. The DSA, which came into full effect in 2024, gives EU regulators broad powers to enforce safety standards on large online platforms.
Organizations using TikTok for communications or marketing should review their policies regarding content involving minors. Security teams may want to assess whether their organizations' social media practices align with emerging regulatory expectations around child safety, particularly if they operate in or serve audiences in the European Union. The case signals that regulators are taking an active role in scrutinizing how platforms handle data and visibility for young users.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/tech/970519/tiktok-eu-dsa-child-safety-age-account-privacy