The European Union announced Monday that it is investigating whether TikTok violated the EU’s tough new digital rules to clean up social media and keep internet users safe.
The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, said it had “started a formal procedure to assess” whether TikTok had breached the Digital Services Act, which came into force last year.
The DSA is a comprehensive set of regulations aimed at keeping internet users safe online, making it easier to flag harmful or illegal content such as hate speech, and giving users alternatives to algorithmic recommendations. These include requirements such as providing advertising to children and prohibiting advertising aimed at children.
The commission will focus on whether TikTok has taken sufficient steps to curb “systemic risks” stemming from its design, including an “algorithmic system” that could stimulate “behavioral addiction.” is guessing.
It said measures such as age verification tools to prevent minors from finding “inappropriate content” may not be “reasonable, reasonable and effective”.
“The protection of minors is a top enforcement priority for the DSA. As a platform that reaches millions of children and adolescents, TikTok must be fully compliant with the DSA and the protection of minors online EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said in a press release. “We are launching this formal infringement action today to ensure that appropriate measures are taken to protect the physical and mental health of young people in Europe.”
TikTok “has pioneered features and settings to protect teens and keep those under 13 off the platform, an issue our entire industry is grappling with,” the company said in a statement. “We continue to work with experts and industry to keep young people safe when using TikTok, and we look forward to the opportunity to explain this work in detail to the committee.”
The committee is also investigating TikTok’s privacy practices for minors, transparency in advertising, and whether it gives researchers access to data.
The EU considers around 20 of the largest online and social media platforms, including TikTok, to be subject to the highest level of scrutiny under the DSA and significant fines for failure to comply.
The bloc is already investigating Elon Musk’s X, formerly known as Twitter, for alleged infringements, including failing to curb the spread of illegal content.
