EC Presses TikTok Over Child Safety Breaches

The European Commission (EC) warned TikTok over its child safety measures. The EC stated that a preliminary look at the company’s protections found it wanting in various aspects.

The initial results of a formal probe into potential breaches of the Digital Services Act (DSA) show TikTok is falling short of the required standards. The EC explained that a public-access setting means child accounts can still be viewed by all kinds of people, whether they use the social media platform or not.

Another risk involves the content of 16- and 17-year-olds, which the EC found can be featured in recommendations to other users, presenting the risk of unwanted contact or cyberbullying. It invited TikTok to view and respond to the preliminary findings. If TikTok is ultimately judged to be in breach of the DSA, the EC may issue a non-compliance decision, which can trigger a fine.

Other areas of concern the EC highlighted include an ability to view the profile pictures of children even when accounts are set to private mode, with discovery available if they are contacts of other users or by non-users of TikTok. The EC previously warned TikTok over its potentially addictive design as part of the same investigation. UK regulator Ofcom is conducting its own probe into TikTok’s child protection measures.