EU Commission accuses TikTok of insufficient protection of minors

Required Changes

The Commission argues that public contacts could lead to unwanted contact by potential perpetrators, to so-called grooming, as well as to cyberbullying. Since what minors publish can remain online forever and accompany them into adulthood, the feature also carries the risk of potentially lifelong consequences. Older minors should indeed be allowed to share content with a larger audience, but that audience must under no circumstances be accessible outside the platform.

A second proceeding deals with possible addiction risks from heavily personalized recommendations and the automatic endless playing of videos. Because of these mechanisms, minor users face an increased risk of cyberbullying and abusive contact attempts, the Commission said. The EU Commission had already presented preliminary findings of the investigation in February on this addictive potential and demanded changes. The mechanisms could tempt minors to spend longer on the platform.

Addiction Risks in the Second Proceeding

TikTok belongs to the Chinese Bytedance group and, according to company figures, had around 178 million active users within the EU at the end of 2025; overall, the platform is estimated to generate more than 30 billion US dollars in revenue worldwide in 2025, with more than 200 million users in Europe. TikTok thus counts among the most popular platforms, particularly among young people, who can create their own short videos there while an algorithm suggests further content.

Possible Sanctions

The EU Commission had already opened formal proceedings against TikTok in February 2024 on the basis of the Digital Services Act. Should the preliminary findings be confirmed and TikTok fails to make changes, the company faces a fine of up to six percent of its global annual revenue; according to estimates, this could amount to up to 1.5 billion euros. Daily penalty payments are also possible to compel the platform to comply with the requirements.

TikTok has the opportunity in both proceedings to defend itself against the allegations or to make changes in order to address the EU's concerns. If no consensual solution is reached, the Commission could formally establish an infringement and impose the fine. The company is also one of the few platforms on which younger teenagers cannot use direct messages, a TikTok spokesperson said.

Youth accounts on TikTok already have more than 50 preset privacy and security features when the account is set up, which were developed with the involvement of experts, the spokesperson continued. TikTok also outsources the moderation of content largely to artificial intelligence and to subcontractors.

In parallel with the proceedings against TikTok, the EU Commission has also criticized Facebook and Instagram for insufficient age controls and excessive addiction risks from personalized recommendations, autoplay and infinite scrolling. The authority is also examining whether Snapchat enforces the minimum age of 13 and protects young users from cybergrooming as well as advertising for alcohol, drugs and vapes. Preliminarily, the Commission also found that several pornographic sites do not adequately keep minors away from their content.

Broader Regulatory Debate

The proceedings against TikTok are fueling the debate over a general age limit for social networks, for which the EU Commission is seeking a Europe-wide solution; there is currently no such EU-wide minimum age for social networks. Ursula von der Leyen announced that she would present a proposal for further EU measures after the summer. In the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer spoke out in favor of a ban on TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat for under-16s starting next year.

The EU Commission described its action as a preliminary result of an investigation already initiated in February 2024 under the Digital Services Act. Should the platform fail to implement the required changes, the proceedings could result in a formal conviction with a fine.