TikTok is under investigation by the EU over child safety, privacy concerns

19 February 2024 , 15:55

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The European Union said it's investigating whether TikTok has broken the bloc's strict new digital rules for cleaning up social media (Photo credit Getty Images)

TikTok is under investigation by the European Union for possibly breaking new digital rules aimed at making social media safer.

The EU's executive branch, the European Commission, has started formal proceedings to see if TikTok has broken the Digital Services Act, which came into effect last year. This act includes rules to make it easier to report harmful or illegal content like hate speech, give users other options to algorithmic recommendations and ban ads aimed at children.

The commission is looking at whether TikTok is doing enough to control "systemic risks" that come from its design, including "algorithmic systems" that might encourage "behavioural addictions." It said measures including age checks to stop young people from finding "inappropriate content" might not be "reasonable, proportionate and effective."

"The protection of minors is a top enforcement priority for the DSA. As a platform that reaches millions of children and teenagers, TikTok must fully comply with the DSA and has a particular role to play in the protection of minors online," said Thierry Breton, the EU's internal market commissioner. We are launching this formal infringement proceeding today to ensure that proportionate action is taken to protect the physical and emotional well-being of young Europeans."

TikTok says it has "pioneered features and settings to protect teens and keep under 13s off the platform, issues the whole industry is grappling with. We'll continue to work with experts and industry to keep young people on TikTok safe, and look forward to now having the opportunity to explain this work in detail to the Commission."

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The commission is looking into how TikTok keeps kids' information private, how clear they are about ads, and if they let researchers look at their data. The EU thinks that big online places like TikTok need to be watched closely under the DSA rules, and they could get in big trouble if they don't follow the rules.

They are already checking out Elon Musk's X, which used to be called Twitter, because it might not be doing enough to stop bad stuff from spreading.

Lawrence Matheson