EU Commission finds TikTok failed to protect minors’ privacy under Digital Services Act News
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EU Commission finds TikTok failed to protect minors’ privacy under Digital Services Act

The European Commission on Friday issued preliminary findings that TikTok failed to meet child-safety requirements under the Digital Services Act (DSA) by allowing minors’ accounts and content to remain too widely visible, including to adults and people without TikTok accounts. The commission said the current settings could expose children to unwanted contact, cyberbullying, and predatory behavior. It also warned that content posted by minors may remain online into adulthood, creating long-term privacy risks.

TikTok has about 169.7 million users in the EU and allows minors to make their accounts public. Under that setting, anyone may be able to view their content, including people who do not have a TikTok account. Content posted by users aged 16 and 17 may also be recommended to other users through TikTok’s “For You” feed. The commission found that private accounts also leave some information exposed. Minors’ profiles can still be found through other users’ follower and following lists, while profile photographs remain visible to the public.

The findings concern Article 28(1) of the Digital Services Act, which requires platforms accessible to minors to provide a high level of privacy, safety and security. The commission said TikTok should make minors’ content visible by default only to users they have accepted. It also said content from minors should not be accessible outside the platform or promoted through the “For You” feed. The commission relied on TikTok’s interface, internal documents and company data, as well as interviews with law enforcement officials and experts in child protection, abuse and neuropsychology.

The case is part of a wider investigation opened on February 19, 2024, into TikTok’s settings for minors, addictive design, advertising transparency, and researcher access. Separate preliminary findings on addictive features were issued in February 2026 and on researcher access in October 2025, while the advertising issue was resolved through binding commitments in December 2025.

TikTok can now examine the evidence and respond in writing, while the European Board for Digital Services will be consulted. If the findings are confirmed, the commission may issue a non-compliance decision and impose a fine of up to six percent of TikTok’s global annual turnover.

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