"The European Commission today [24 July] communicated to TikTok preliminary findings that minors' accounts do not comply with the security standards required by the Digital Services Regulation," the EU executive announced in a statement.

Exposure of accounts

According to the European Commission, TikTok's account settings "expose minors' accounts and content too broadly," allowing them, in particular, to choose to make their accounts public and for content from users aged 16 and 17 to be recommended to other users through a personalised section.

This exposure can result in "unwanted contact from potential abusers" and create risks of content being used for cyberbullying, as well as giving strangers "a window into a child's life," Brussels warns.

Even when minors opt for private accounts, they can be easily found through follower lists and users followed by other accounts, while profile pictures remain accessible to anyone, including users without a TikTok account.

The EU executive therefore considers that TikTok should adjust the default settings of minors' public accounts so that content is, by default, visible only to users that the minor has accepted.

Although older minors may choose to share content with a wider audience within TikTok, it should not be accessible to a global audience outside the platform, argues the European Commission, which also considers that TikTok should stop recommending content from minors through the personalised section.

In-depth investigation

The preliminary conclusions result from an in-depth investigation that included interface analysis, internal data and TikTok documents, as well as interviews with law enforcement agents and experts in child protection, child abuse and neuropsychology.

The formal investigation into TikTok's compliance with the Digital Services Regulation was launched in February 2024 and also covers the potentially addictive design of the platform, regarding which the European Commission adopted preliminary conclusions in February of this year.

The process also covers the so-called "rabbit hole effect" (a situation in which a user starts watching certain content and, through the platform's automatic recommendations, is progressively led to other content) of TikTok's recommendation systems and the risk of minors having an age-inappropriate experience due to an incorrect representation of their age.

The investigation into these issues is ongoing, and the conclusions presented today do not prejudice the final outcome of the investigation.

TikTok can now consult the process documents and respond in writing to the European Commission.

If the position is confirmed, Brussels may adopt a non-compliance decision and impose a fine that could reach 6% of the company's annual global turnover.

The Digital Services Regulation establishes obligations for platforms operating in the European Union, including the adoption of measures to ensure a high level of privacy, security, and protection of minors.