• 2 min read
EU accuses TikTok of weak protection for minors
The European Commission says TikTok leaves minors' accounts too exposed and may recommend their content, risking a fine of up to 6% of revenue.
Image: ITzine
The European Commission says TikTok has not done enough to protect minors' accounts. If the case results in a fine, the penalty could reach 6% of the company’s annual revenue.
The regulator’s preliminary findings focus on the platform’s default privacy settings and recommendation system:
- Teenagers' profiles are considered too open by default.
- Users under 18 may be able to make their accounts public themselves, making their posts visible to anyone on TikTok.
- TikTok’s algorithm may recommend content from users aged 16–17 in the For You feed.
Brussels says this setup increases the risk of unwanted contact, cyberbullying and harmful behavior by malicious actors. TikTok can now respond to the allegations, but the Commission has indicated that violations of the Digital Services Act could lead to fines without a lengthy process.
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TikTok’s record with regulators
This is not TikTok’s first dispute with European or British regulators. Earlier this year, the company faced complaints over “addictive” features including infinite scrolling, video autoplay and push notifications.
Outside the European Union, pressure is also continuing. The UK regulator Ofcom has said TikTok is not sufficiently effective at protecting children from harmful content.
The platform is also under scrutiny in the United States, where regulators regularly examine it through the lens of data protection and teen safety. If the European Commission’s concerns become a formal case, the fine would be calculated from TikTok’s global revenue, rather than income generated in a single country.
Maxim Tretyakov is a technical journalist who primarily covers the mobile-phone market and automotive technology. He has prepared 740 articles analyzing flagship smartphone launches, including Xiaomi and Apple products, neural-network features in consumer devices and the state of Russia’s domestic auto industry. His expertise also covers hardware ranging from graphics-card concepts to smart rings, as well as legal issues in the technology market.
Culture Editor
Maya explores gaming, streaming, and the internet as a place where people actually live. From deep-dives into creator economies to the anthropology of digital communities, she tracks platform drama and cultural shifts so you don't have to. She believes the best tech stories are fundamentally about human behavior.
via ITzine
