EU Commission Finds TikTok Failed to Protect Children's Privacy

Brussels – The European Commission announced on Friday that TikTok failed to adequately protect the privacy rights of children on its platform. An investigation revealed that adult users could view the accounts of minors.

Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier stated that this oversight exposed children to cyberbullying, unwanted contact, and predatory behavior. "Content from children should never be visible to strangers," Regnier said. He emphasized that if TikTok does not take corrective actions under the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), "minors are exposed to predators, grooming, and cyberbullying." Regnier noted that children aged 13 to 15 could easily switch their accounts from private to public, and the private accounts of 16- to 17-year-olds were accessible to anyone online.

TikTok now has the opportunity to respond to the commission's findings. If the company's response is deemed unsatisfactory, the European Commission could issue a non-compliance decision, potentially imposing fines up to 6% of TikTok's total annual revenue.

TikTok, owned by China-based ByteDance, issued a statement indicating it would review the commission's findings and "continue to engage constructively." The company stated, "Protecting minors online is a shared goal, and we are committed to building on our strong track record of continuous improvement."

The commission estimates that a significant portion of TikTok's 170 million EU users are children, with 7% of 12- to 15-year-olds spending four to five hours daily on the app. This investigation follows previous regulatory actions by the EU against major tech companies like Meta and Apple. In February, the EU also found TikTok in breach of regulations for its "addictive design," including autoplay and infinite scrolling features, which were deemed potentially harmful to the physical and mental health of users, especially minors.