ByteDance’s TikTok faces formal charges from the European Commission over default settings that regulators say leave minors vulnerable to cyberbullying and predators. The preliminary findings under the Digital Services Act put the platform at risk of fines up to 6% of its global annual turnover.
ByteDance’s video-sharing app TikTok has been charged with breaching EU online content rules due to platform design features that regulators warn could expose children to predators or cyberbullying. Announced by European Union regulators, the preliminary findings represent the fourth regulatory allegation against TikTok within a two-year span.
DSA Investigation and Core Safety Concerns
The European Commission, serving as the bloc’s primary tech enforcer, found that TikTok accounts fall short of Digital Services Act safety standards. Regulators launched their investigation into the platform’s minor safety protections in February 2024, adding to an earlier draft decision from February that flagged addictive design elements.
According to the Commission, the platform permits children to make their accounts public by default or with minimal friction. This exposes underage users to unwanted contact from malicious actors. Furthermore, the regulatory probe revealed that even private accounts lack adequate security. Third parties can easily locate these accounts through the following
and followers
lists of other users, even if the person searching does not maintain an active TikTok profile themselves.
Recommender Algorithms and Default Settings
The European Commission specifically targeted TikTok’s recommender algorithms. Regulators found that the platform’s For You
feed frequently surfaces content created by minors to a broader audience. While TikTok applies a private mode by default to accounts belonging to users aged 13 to 15, officials noted that these settings remain simple to alter, allowing teen accounts to transition to public visibility.
The regulatory enforcement emphasizes that robust digital protections must be embedded into the foundational architecture of tech platforms. The Digital Services Act requires platforms to build protections for minors into the design of their services, and holds them to account when they fail to do so,
said EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen in a statement, adding that A high level of protection should not be an opt-in; it should be the default.
TikTok’s Response and Compliance History
In response to the regulatory action, TikTok defended its current safety architecture while confirming it would engage with EU officials. Teen accounts on TikTok have more than 50 preset privacy and safety features, informed by experts, from the moment they set up an account,
the company stated. The platform added that Under 18 accounts are private by default and we are one of the only platforms where younger teens cannot use direct messaging or have their content eligible to appear in the For You feed.
TikTok now has the opportunity to examine the Commission’s documents and submit formal responses. If regulators confirm the violations, the final decision could impose a financial penalty reaching up to 6% of the company’s global annual turnover. The platform previously offered commercial concessions to resolve two separate regulatory cases, while a third investigation remains ongoing.
