Overview
- The European Commission delivered preliminary findings on Friday that conclude TikTok’s account defaults and recommendation systems expose minors to unwanted contacts, cyberbullying and predatory behavior.
- Brussels ordered concrete design changes: make the highest privacy level the default for under‑18 accounts, prevent anyone outside an accepted audience from viewing minors’ posts by default, and stop algorithmic amplification of content from 16‑ and 17‑year‑olds.
- The Commission flagged that private accounts are still discoverable through followers lists and profile photos visible to non‑users, which undermines the platform’s existing privacy settings and raises safety risks.
- TikTok said it will review the conclusions and noted under‑18 accounts include more than 50 preconfigured privacy and safety features and are private by default, and it has the formal chance to reply before any final decision.
- This case is part of a wider push to enforce the Digital Services Act, following recent EU actions against Google and AliExpress, and could lead to a formal infringement ruling and a fine if Brussels confirms the findings and TikTok does not make the required changes.