The European Commission has initiated proceedings against TikTok, accusing it of failing to guarantee the safety of minors on its platform. This action follows previous sanctions imposed on other tech giants like Google and AliExpress for non-compliance with the European Union's digital regulations.
According to the Digital Services Act (DSA), digital platforms operating in the EU market must ensure the safe use of their services. Brussels believes that the application, owned by Chinese giant ByteDance, does not implement sufficient measures to protect young users from potential harassers.
The Commission alleges that TikTok allows minor users' accounts to be public by default, facilitating access to their content and its recommendation to other users. This could expose them to unwanted contact and cyberbullying, according to an official statement. Even private accounts can be easily located through user searches.
The EU demands that the platform modify the default settings for minors' accounts so that their content is only visible to approved users. It also requests that TikTok refrain from algorithmically recommending content from users aged 16 and 17 in the 'For You' section.
“"A high level of protection should not be an opt-in choice; it should be the default setting. Minors deserve a safe experience from the moment they connect to the internet."
This conclusion is preliminary, and TikTok has the option to appeal the decision. If the Commission upholds its stance, it could impose a fine on the platform of up to 6% of its global annual turnover, determined by the severity and duration of the infringement.
