The Commission’s preliminary DSA finding turns minors’ account settings into a wider fight over platform responsibility The European Commission has prelimi…
The Commission’s preliminary DSA finding turns minors’ account settings into a wider fight over platform responsibility
The European Commission has preliminarily found that TikTok’s account settings for minors fall short of the Digital Services Act, saying children’s content should not be exposed to a global audience by design. The case is not yet a final ruling, but it sharpens a central question in Europe’s digital policy: whether child safety online should depend on young users changing settings, or on platforms building protection into the service from the start.
Brussels said on Friday that it had sent TikTok preliminary findings under the EU’s platform rulebook, arguing that minors’ accounts do not meet the safety standards required for very large online platforms. According to the European Commission’s preliminary findings, minors can choose to make their accounts public, allowing their content to be viewed by users outside their accepted circle, including people without a TikTok account.
The Commission also raised concern that content posted by older minors, aged 16 and 17, may be recommended to other users through TikTok’s “For You” feed. In the regulator’s view, that turns a child’s post from a social interaction into potentially wide distribution, with risks ranging from unwanted contact and cyberbullying to predatory behaviour.
Privacy by design, not by request
The case rests on a simple but consequential principle: protection for children should be the default setting. The Commission said TikTok should adjust the default visibility of minors’ public accounts so that their content is visible only to users they have accepted. Older minors may still be given more choice, but Brussels said their content should not be accessible to an unrestricted global audience outside the platform.
That position reflects the Commission’s wider guidelines on the protection of minors, published under the Digital Services Act. Those guidelines recommend private-by-default accounts, safer recommender systems, stronger controls against unwanted contact, and limits on design features that can encourage excessive use.
For campaigners and child-safety advocates, the TikTok case will be watched as a measure of whether the DSA can move beyond transparency duties and impose practical changes to platform architecture. The law asks major platforms to identify and reduce systemic risks, including risks to minors’ privacy, safety, mental wellbeing and fundamental rights.
A broader enforcement pattern
The TikTok finding is part of a broader European push to make large platforms answer for design choices that affect children and vulnerable users. Earlier this year, Brussels also pursued concerns over addictive design on TikTok, a case previously covered by The European Times, including scrutiny of infinite scroll, autoplay and recommendation systems.
Friday’s action differs in focus. It is less about time spent on the app and more about exposure: who can see a child’s content, how easily it can travel, and whether a platform’s settings invite risks before a young user fully understands them. That makes the case a privacy dispute, but also a children’s rights issue.
The Commission’s findings remain preliminary. TikTok will have the opportunity to examine the case file and respond before any final decision. If the Commission ultimately confirms a breach, it may order corrective measures and impose penalties under the DSA framework.
The stakes extend beyond one company. For Europe, online safety regulation is increasingly becoming a test of whether digital rights can be made visible in ordinary product design. For families, the question is more immediate: whether a child’s account starts from privacy and safety, or whether protection depends on navigating settings after the risk has already been built in.
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