EU Commission preliminarily finds TikTok teen account settings violate digital safety rules

Published Jul 24, 10:03 AM UTC

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.