Potential penalties could reach six percent of TikTok’s yearly earnings.
The European Commission (EC) has raised concerns regarding TikTok’s ability to safeguard the privacy of minor accounts, which are set to public by default. Recently, the EC forwarded its initial findings to TikTok, stating that the platform’s policies for underage users do not comply with the safety expectations outlined in the Digital Services Act (DSA).
Specifically, the commission noted that minors can publicly share their accounts, making their content accessible to anyone on TikTok. Furthermore, TikTok’s recommendation algorithm displays content from users aged 16 to 17 on its For You feed, potentially exposing minors to unwanted interactions, cyberbullying, or other predatory behavior.
The EC emphasized that platforms serving minors must provide a high level of privacy, security, and safety as mandated by the DSA. They concluded that TikTok’s existing settings do not fulfill these requirements, leading to excessive exposure of minors’ accounts and content. TikTok has the opportunity to respond to these findings, but failure to comply may result in a fine of up to six percent of its gross annual revenue.
To address these issues, the EC suggested that TikTok restrict the default visibility of minor accounts to friends only. Additionally, the commission recommended that TikTok cease the practice of promoting content from minor accounts in its For You feed. This is not the first instance of the EC addressing TikTok’s compliance; earlier this year, the platform faced criticism for using features designed to enhance user engagement, such as infinite scrolling, autoplay, and push notifications. In the UK, the regulatory body Ofcom also expressed concerns about TikTok’s effectiveness in preventing harmful content from reaching young users.
