The European Commission has sent TikTok preliminary findings saying the platform's default privacy settings for minors and its recommendation algorithm fall short of the Digital Services Act's safety requirements. The EC warns that public-by-default accounts and algorithmic promotion of content from 16- and 17-year-olds can expose minors to unwanted contact, cyberbullying and predatory behaviour. It recommends friends-only defaults for minors and stopping recommendations of minor accounts in the For You feed; TikTok can respond but faces fines up to 6% of global revenue if found non-compliant.
European Commission Says TikTok Fails To Protect Minors Under DSA, Faces Possible Fines
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The European Commission (EC) has issued preliminary findings that TikTok's default privacy and recommendation settings for underage users do not meet the safety standards required by the Digital Services Act (DSA). The commission says minors' accounts are public by default and that TikTok's algorithm can recommend content from 16- and 17-year-old accounts in the platform's "For You" feed, increasing the risk of unwanted contact, cyberbullying and predatory behaviour.
What the Commission found
The EC flagged two core issues: the ability for minors to have public-by-default accounts and the algorithmic promotion of content from teenage accounts beyond their chosen circles. According to the commission, this combination ‘‘exposes minors' accounts and content too widely’’ and could result in "unwanted contact from potential perpetrators," as well as other harms.
“Platforms accessible to minors must ensure a high level of privacy, safety and security on their service,” the commission said in its preliminary findings.
Recommended fixes and potential penalties
To bring TikTok into compliance, the EC recommended that the platform set minors' accounts to friends-only by default and stop recommending content from minor accounts in the For You feed. TikTok has an opportunity to respond to the preliminary findings. If the company is later found non-compliant, the commission may impose a fine of up to 6% of global gross annual revenue under the DSA.
Regulatory context
This is not TikTok's first regulatory challenge in Europe. Earlier this year regulators raised concerns about so-called "addictive design" features — such as infinite scroll, autoplay and persistent push notifications — that may harm young users. The UK regulator Ofcom has also warned that TikTok is not sufficiently effective at preventing harmful content from reaching children.
As enforcement of the DSA intensifies across the EU, platforms like TikTok are under growing pressure to balance recommendation-driven engagement with stronger, privacy-forward protections for minors.
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