The European Commission has issued preliminary findings against TikTok over alleged failures to adequately protect underage users on its platform. The regulator stated that the ByteDance-owned social media platform’s account configurations for minors do not comply with mandatory safety standards under the Digital Services Act (DSA), exposing the company to potential fines of up to 6 percent of its global annual revenue.
According to the Commission’s preliminary assessment, TikTok allows teenage users to set their profiles to public, making their content accessible to any internet user—including non-registered viewers—and heightening risks of cyberbullying and predatory targeting. Regulators also noted that private accounts held by minors remain discoverable via follower lists, recommending that public minor accounts default to restricted visibility limited strictly to approved connections.
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Rebuffing the findings, TikTok stated that it will examine the preliminary report while maintaining open dialogue with European regulators. The company highlighted that accounts for users under 18 feature over 50 built-in safety controls, are private by default, and restrict younger teenagers from using direct messaging or appearing in algorithmic recommendations.
The preliminary charges mark the fourth regulatory action against TikTok under the DSA framework within two years. European Union Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security, and Democracy Henna Virkkunen emphasized that the DSA requires platforms to integrate minor protections directly into default product design rather than offering them as optional user configurations.
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