“The promotion of inappropriate products and services, such as alcohol, get-rich-quick schemes and cigarettes” is prohibited, says the European Commission.
The social network TikTok, accused by the European Bureau of Consumers’ Unions (BEUC) of “fail to protect children from disguised advertising and inappropriate contenthas pledged to comply with European Union rules, the European Commission announced on Tuesday. The Commission and representatives of the Member States had in May 2021 initiated a “dialoguewith this video-sharing platform, owned by Chinese internet giant ByteDance and very popular with children and teenagers, following BEUC’s complaint.
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«The series of issues have been reviewed, and TikTok has pledged to change its practices“Said the European executive in a press release. “Through our dialogue, consumers will be able to detect all types of advertising they are exposed to when using this platform“, declared the European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders, welcoming “TikTok’s desire to make the way it conducts its economic activity more transparent“. For its part, the platform assured that it “would continue to strive to improve in order to provide the best possible TikTok experience to (its) community».
Concerns around profiling and targeting of children
Users can now more easily report advertisements and offers that may entice children to purchase goods or services. They are invited to activate a button to signal that they publish a video within the framework of a commercial partnership with a mark. For users with more than 10,000 subscribers, videos are reviewed by TikTok.to ensure content is appropriate», Details the European executive. “Promoting inappropriate products and services, such as alcohol, get-rich-quick schemes, and cigarettesis prohibited, specifies the Commission.
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The terms of purchase and use of TikTok coins, the virtual currency of this platform, are clarified, as well as the way of obtaining rewards from TikTok and sending gifts. BEUC, which brings together consumer organizations from 32 countries including UFC Que Choisir (France) and Test Achats (Belgium), has judged that “major issues were still unresolved». «We are particularly concerned that the profiling and targeting of children with personalized ads will not be stopped by TikTok.said BEUC Deputy Director General Ursula Pachl.