EU Commission Accuses TikTok of Insufficient Child Protection, Cites Risks of Public Profiles

The European Commission has accused the Chinese video platform TikTok of providing insufficient protection for its underage users, citing concerns over publicly accessible profiles that could expose minors to risks.

The Commission stated that the ability for children and adolescents to create public profiles could lead to "unwanted contact, cyberbullying, or exploitative behavior." It has urged TikTok to adjust its settings so that content shared by minors is not visible to everyone globally. An exception is considered for older teenagers who might be granted public sharing capabilities, but such content should "under no circumstances" be accessible outside the platform. Additionally, the EU Commission recommended that TikTok refrain from recommending minors' content to other users.

TikTok defended its platform's settings, asserting that youth accounts feature "more than 50 preset privacy and safety features developed with the input of experts." A spokesperson highlighted that TikTok is among the few platforms where younger teenagers cannot use direct messaging.

The Commission's findings are preliminary results from an investigation launched in February 2024 under the Digital Services Act. If the findings are confirmed, TikTok could face fines of up to six percent of its global annual revenue. This situation may also intensify discussions about EU-wide age restrictions for social media platforms.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has previously announced plans to propose further EU actions after the summer, based on recommendations from an expert group advocating for a minimum age for social media use. This is not the first time TikTok has faced criticism from the EU Commission.