TikTok minor privacy protections violated EU rules, commission says
The European Commission says TikTok left minors’ accounts visible to adults, raising risks of grooming, cyberbullying and fines.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
The European Commission said Friday that TikTok minor privacy safeguards did not adequately protect children because adults could view minors’ accounts. The finding matters because it could lead to formal EU penalties under the Digital Services Act if the company does not satisfy regulators.
Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said the setup exposed children to cyberbullying, unwanted contact and predatory behavior. He said children’s content should not be visible to strangers and warned that weak account protections can leave minors open to grooming.
Regnier said children ages 13 to 15 can easily switch their accounts from private to public. He also said private accounts belonging to users ages 16 to 17 can be viewed by anyone online.
TikTok said it would review the European Commission’s findings and continue to work with the regulator. The company said protecting minors online is a shared goal and that it is committed to continuing improvements.
What did the EU say TikTok did wrong?
The European Commission said TikTok failed to make privacy protections for young users effective. According to Regnier, the issue was not just whether default settings existed, but whether those settings actually kept children’s content away from strangers.
The case falls under the European Union’s Digital Services Act, a major tech regulation that sets obligations for large online platforms. In this context, the law is being used to examine whether TikTok has done enough to reduce risks faced by minors on its service.
TikTok now has the chance to respond to the findings and defend its practices. If the European Commission is not satisfied, it could issue a non-compliance decision and impose a fine of up to 6% of the company’s total annual revenue.
How many TikTok users in the EU are children?
The European Commission estimates that most of TikTok’s 170 million users in the EU are children. It also says 7% of children ages 12 to 15 spend four to five hours a day on the app.
The privacy finding adds to Brussels’ broader scrutiny of large technology companies. The commission has pursued recent actions involving major firms including Meta, Apple and Google as the EU applies its digital and competition rules.
TikTok has already faced another EU finding under the bloc’s digital rule book. In February, the European Union said the platform breached rules through what it described as addictive design, including autoplay and infinite scrolling, which the EU said could harm users’ physical and mental health, especially minors.
The latest findings do not end the case. They set up the next stage, in which TikTok can answer the allegations before the commission decides whether to escalate the matter into a formal non-compliance decision.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.