EU preliminarily finds TikTok violates Digital Services Act on teen privacy
The European Commission has preliminarily found that TikTok’s default account settings for users aged 13-18 violate the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA). The investigation, launched in February 2024, identified risks including easy switching from private to public accounts, identifiable teen profiles, and algorithmic exposure of minors’ content. The Commission demands stricter default privacy settings and restrictions on content sharing. TikTok faces a potential fine of up to 6% of global turnover (potentially €1.2 billion) and has been given an opportunity to respond.
Editorial responsibility
- No named human review is recorded for this page.
- Reports are grouped by semantic similarity and deterministic rules. Language models may assist titles, summaries, translation and cross-source analysis; the page itself is projected from evidence records.
- Current automated evidence projection
Cross-source coverage
Wire timeline
EU accuses TikTok of failing to protect teens’ privacy, risking billion euro fine
The European Commission has preliminarily found TikTok in breach of the Digital Services Act (DSA) over privacy settings for users aged 13-18. The EU argues that design choices, such as allowing public accounts for those over 15 and displaying profile pictures of under-15s even on private accounts, expose minors to risks including cyberbullying, predators, and exploitation. TikTok can review the evidence and respond. If confirmed, the company faces a fine of up to 6% of global annual turnover, potentially €1.2 billion based on 2024 revenue. The investigation is part of broader EU efforts to regulate Big Tech and improve child safety online.
EU accuses TikTok of failing to protect teens’ privacy, risking billion euro fine
The European Commission has preliminarily found TikTok in breach of the Digital Services Act (DSA) over privacy settings for users aged 13-18. The EU argues that design choices, such as allowing public accounts for those over 15 and displaying profile pictures of under-15s even on private accounts, expose minors to risks including cyberbullying, predators, and exploitation. TikTok has the right to review the evidence and respond. If the findings are confirmed, the company could face a fine of up to 6% of its global annual turnover, potentially reaching €1.2 billion based on 2024 revenue. The investigation is part of the EU's broader crackdown on Big Tech to improve child safety online.
EU accuses TikTok of failing to protect teens’ privacy, risking billion euro fine
The European Commission has preliminarily found TikTok in breach of the Digital Services Act (DSA) over privacy settings for users aged 13-18. The EU argues that design choices, such as allowing public accounts for minors over 15 and displaying profile pictures of under-15s even on private accounts, create loopholes that expose minors to risks like cyberbullying, predators, and unsolicited content. TikTok has the right to review the evidence and respond. If the findings are confirmed, the company could face a fine of up to 6% of its global annual turnover, potentially reaching €1.2 billion based on 2024 revenue. The investigation is part of broader EU efforts to regulate social media giants and improve child safety online.
Show 4 older updatesHide older updates
EU finds TikTok violates digital rulebook by failing to protect privacy of minors
The European Commission announced on July 24, 2026, that TikTok has violated the EU's digital rulebook by failing to adequately protect children's privacy rights. The investigation found that TikTok allowed adults to view the accounts of minors, exposing children to cyberbullying, unwanted contact, and predatory behavior. This action is part of a broader crackdown on Big Tech by Brussels, which has previously targeted Meta and Apple. TikTok now has the opportunity to defend itself; if the Commission is unsatisfied with the response, it could issue a non-compliance decision and fine TikTok up to 6% of its total annual revenue. This follows a separate finding in February 2026 that TikTok's 'addictive design' features, such as autoplay and infinite scrolling, could harm users' physical and mental health, especially minors.
EU Commission: TikTok's Teen Account Settings Violate Digital Safety Rules
The European Commission has preliminarily found that TikTok's default account settings for teenagers aged 13-18 fail to comply with the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA). Announced on Friday, the investigation—launched in February 2024—identified several shortcomings: the default private mode for users aged 13-15 is too easily changed to public, potentially exposing minors to unwanted contact, predatory behavior, or cyberbullying. Additionally, teen accounts are easily identifiable by non-users through profile pictures and follower lists, and TikTok's recommender algorithms surface minors' content on the 'For You' feed. The Commission demands TikTok expand default private settings to all teen accounts, stop recommending minors' content externally, and prevent content from being accessible outside the platform. TikTok faces a potential fine of up to 6% of its global turnover and has been given an opportunity to respond to the preliminary findings.
EU Commission: TikTok's teen default settings violate Digital Services Act
The European Commission has preliminarily found that TikTok's default account settings for teenagers aged 13 to 18 violate the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA). The investigation, launched in February 2024, revealed that default private mode settings for users aged 13-15 are too easily changed to public, potentially exposing minors to unwanted contact, predatory behavior, and cyberbullying. Additionally, the Commission found that teen accounts are easily identifiable by non-users through profile pictures and follower lists, and that TikTok's recommender algorithms surface minors' content on the 'For You' feed. The Commission demands TikTok expand default private settings to all teen accounts (including 16-18 year olds), prevent content sharing outside the platform, and stop recommending minors' content. TikTok faces a potential fine of up to 6% of its global turnover and has been given an opportunity to respond to the preliminary findings.
EU Commission: TikTok's teen default settings violate Digital Services Act
The European Commission has preliminarily found that TikTok's default account settings for users aged 13 to 18 fail to comply with the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA). The investigation, launched in February 2024, identified that while TikTok applies a private mode to accounts of users aged 13-15 by default, this setting is very easy to change, potentially exposing minors to unwanted contact, predatory behavior, or cyberbullying. Additionally, the Commission found that teen accounts can be easily identified by non-users through profile pictures and follower lists, and that TikTok's recommender algorithms often surface teen content on the 'For You' feed. The Commission demands TikTok expand default private settings to all teen accounts (including 16-18 year olds), stop recommending minors' content externally, and prevent content from being accessible outside the platform. TikTok faces a potential fine of up to 6% of its global turnover and has been given an opportunity to respond to the preliminary findings.