European Commission finds TikTok exposed children to adult users
The European Commission has determined that TikTok allowed adults to view the accounts of minors, exposing the platform to massive fines and highlighting the strict enforcement of the bloc's digital rulebook.
Brussels announced on Friday that TikTok failed to shield the privacy of minors, as adults were able to view their accounts. Regulators warned that this oversight left younger users vulnerable to cyberbullying, unwanted contact, and predatory behaviour.
The Chinese-owned company now has the opportunity to respond to the findings and defend its practices. If the Commission rejects the reply, it will issue a formal non-compliance decision that could trigger a fine of up to 6% of total annual revenue.
For investors and market analysts, this mounting regulatory friction poses a tangible risk to the company's financial outlook in Europe. The threat of massive penalties, combined with the operational costs of overhauling platform features, could materially impact the firm's profitability in a crucial market.
This development stems from an ongoing investigation into TikTok’s compliance with the Digital Services Act. The probe began in February 2024 when the app was officially classified as a Very Large Online Platform under the bloc's sweeping digital rulebook.
The privacy failure follows another adverse ruling in February, when the Commission determined that TikTok violated the same law through its addictive design. Regulators specifically cited features like infinite scroll and autoplay, arguing they threatened the physical and mental health of users.
TikTok pushed back against those earlier design findings, dismissing the Commission’s assessment as categorically false. The company's willingness to challenge the regulator sets the stage for a protracted legal battle over its operations and product design in the region.
Beyond the Digital Services Act, TikTok is already absorbing severe financial penalties from Ireland’s Data Protection Commission. The Irish regulator fined the company €345 million in 2023 for failing to properly safeguard the data of children under 13.
Furthermore, the same regulator imposed a €530 million penalty regarding the transfer of European user data to China. Ireland’s High Court upheld that specific data transfer fine earlier this year, compounding the legal pressures facing the social media giant.
