BRUSSELS, July 24 — The European Union on Friday accused TikTok of failing to protect children since their account settings expose them to risks like cyberbullying and predatory behaviour — putting the company at risk of a large fine.

The EU said minors’ accounts should only be visible to those they have given permission. Children aged 13 and over can use TikTok.

“A high level of protection should not be an opt-in; it should be the default,” EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said in a statement.

TikTok insisted it was committed to protecting minors online.

The EU has intensified its efforts to protect minors with new rules expected later this year that will ban children under the age of 13 using social media.

Brussels began its probe into Chinese-owned TikTok in 2024 under the Digital Services Act (DSA) — a content law and major weapon in the EU’s boosted legal armoury that it has deployed to rein in Big Tech in recent years.

Under the DSA, children’s account settings have, by default, the strongest safety and security protections.

“TikTok’s account settings fail to meet this standard, as they expose minors’ accounts and content too widely,” the EU said in its preliminary view.

The EU found during the investigation that minors can make their account public, meaning anyone with or without a TikTok account can see their content.

Even when children choose to make their accounts private, they can be “easily found” through other users’ “following” and “followers” lists.

“TikTok’s settings continue to expose them to risks — including unwanted contact, cyberbullying, or predatory behaviour,” the EU warned.

Brussels told TikTok to adjust the default settings for minors’ “public” accounts, making them only visible to users whom the child has accepted.

A TikTok spokesperson said teen accounts have more than 50 preset privacy and safety features and stressed under-18 accounts were private by default.

“We will review these preliminary findings as we continue to engage constructively” with the EU, the spokesperson added.

EU’s age-check app

If the EU’s views on TikTok are confirmed, the EU can slap a fine of up to six percent of the company’s total worldwide annual turnover.

The EU already took an unprecedented step in February against TikTok when it told the platform to change its addictive design or face heavy fines.

Meta has faced similar scrutiny after Brussels told the tech titan two weeks ago to change its addictive design features such as infinite scrolling.

The mood in Europe is turning against letting younger children access social media and other digital platforms. France this week became the first EU nation to block social media for under-15s.

Experts tasked by EU chief Ursula von der Leyen recommended earlier this month that the 27-country bloc should prohibit children under the age of 13 from having their own social media accounts.

Von der Leyen is due to announce in September what the EU’s approach will be but has indicated that she backed the experts’ recommendations.

The EU is also preparing to rollout an age verification app across the bloc to make sure platforms check the ages of users before accessing platforms. — AFP