The EU warns that TikTok’s protections for minors should not be optional

TikTok has drawn the wrath of the European Union over its protection of children who use the video-sharing platform. the The European Commission announced Today’s preliminary findings under the Digital Services Act (DSA) present specific issues that need to be addressed.

The Commission suggests that TikTok set the default settings for minors’ “public” accounts so that the content they post is only visible to TikTok users with whom the teen has chosen to share it, and such content should not be recommended to other users in the For You feed. Even accounts set to private can be easily discovered through other users’ “following” lists, and anyone can see their profile pictures. If TikTok fails to address the concerns, it could face a DSA non-compliance decision that imposes fines of up to 6 percent of the company’s global annual revenue.

“Minors deserve a safe experience from the moment they go online,” EU Chief Technology Officer Hina Virkkonen said in the announcement. “The Digital Services Act requires platforms to build protections for minors into the design of their services, and holds them accountable when they fail to do so.” “A high level of protection should not be optional; it should be the default. This is our responsibility to current and future generations of European children.”

The preliminary results follow the launch of UK telecommunications regulator Ofcom A Similar investigation for child safety to TikTok last week, with updates expected in October. EU says separate investigation to evaluate addictionRabbit hole effectTikTok’s recommendation systems are still going strong.