On 24 July, the European Commission released a statement concerning TikTok’s inadequacies in safeguarding children’s privacy rights on its platform. The Commission’s findings indicated that the platform permits adults to access minors’ accounts, thereby exposing children to potential risks, including cyberbullying, unwanted contact, and predatory behaviour. Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier explained these significant concerns.
“Children’s content must never be visible to strangers,” he said.
If TikTok fails to comply with the requirements of the European Union’s Digital Services Act, there are significant concerns about the safety of minors on the platform. Regnier pointed out that children aged 13 to 15 can easily modify their account settings from private to public. Furthermore, the private accounts of minors aged 16 to 17 can be accessed by anyone on the internet. Regnier stated, “We do not accept this.” He emphasised that establishing effective default settings for minors is crucial and cannot be treated as a mere formality under the DSA.
This investigation comes in the wake of stringent regulatory actions by Brussels against major technology companies, positioning the EU as a leader in regulating large tech companies such as Meta and Apple. TikTok can now respond to these findings. Should the European Commission find the company’s response inadequate, it has the authority to issue a non-compliance decision and impose potential fines of up to 6% of the company’s total annual revenue.
In response, the Chinese social media platform, operated by its parent company, ByteDance, based in Beijing, has expressed its intention to review the findings from Brussels and to “continue to engage constructively with the Commission.” TikTok affirmed its commitment to protecting minors online and to enhancing its existing practices.
The Commission estimates that a significant portion of TikTok’s 170 million users in the EU are minors, with approximately 7% of children aged 12 to 15 reportedly spending 4 to 5 hours per day on the app.
Additionally, in February, the 27-member European Union found that TikTok had breached another aspect of its digital regulations due to concerns about its “addictive design,” including features such as autoplay and infinite scrolling. These elements have the potential to adversely affect the physical and mental well-being of users, particularly among minors.
This article used information from The Associated Press.
