The European Union has accused TikTok of violating its online safety rules over features that regulators say could put children at greater risk of cyberbullying and contact from online predators.
The allegations are part of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which requires major technology companies to better protect users from harmful and illegal content.
According to the European Commission, TikTok’s current account design does not provide enough protection for minors. Regulators said children can make their accounts public, allowing anyone to view their content, which increases the risk of unwanted contact and harassment. The Commission also raised concerns that even children with private accounts can still be identified through the “following” and “followers” lists of other users, including by people who do not have a TikTok account.
The Commission believes TikTok should change its default settings so that content shared by minors is only visible to users they have approved. EU officials stressed that strong privacy protections for children should be enabled automatically rather than requiring young users to change settings themselves.
TikTok said it will review the Commission’s preliminary findings and continue working with EU regulators. The company said it already includes more than 50 built-in privacy and safety features for teenage users when they create an account. TikTok also noted that accounts belonging to users under 18 are private by default and that younger teenagers cannot use direct messaging or have their videos recommended in the “For You” feed.
The findings are preliminary, allowing TikTok to review the evidence and respond before the European Commission reaches a final decision. If the company is ultimately found to have violated the Digital Services Act, it could face a fine of up to 6% of its global annual revenue.
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