The European Commission issued preliminary findings on July 24, 2026, stating that TikTok's account settings fail to meet safety standards under the EU Digital Services Act (DSA) for protecting minors online [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The EU said TikTok allows minors to make their accounts public, exposing children to risks such as cyberbullying, predatory behavior, and unwanted contact by non-users [1, 2, 6, 7, 3, 4, 5]. Even private accounts are not fully protected because profiles remain discoverable through other users' followers and profile photos remain visible to non-users [1, 2, 6, 7, 4]. TikTok content from users aged 16 to 17 can also be recommended to others via TikTok's "For You" feed, increasing minors' exposure [6, 7, 4, 5].
The commission demands TikTok change default account settings for minors so their content is visible only to approved TikTok users, not the global public by default [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Henna Virkkunen, EU tech chief, said, "A high level of protection should not be an opt-in; it should be the default" [1, 4]. The DSA requires platforms to build child safety protections into the design of their services [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
TikTok responded that accounts for users under 18 are private by default and include over 50 preset privacy and safety features informed by experts. Younger teens cannot use direct messaging or have content in the "For You" feed, said a TikTok spokesperson [1, 2, 3]. They added, "We will review these preliminary findings as we continue to engage constructively with the EU" [3].
The investigation began on February 19, 2024, with multiple preliminary findings issued over the past two years [6, 7, 4]. TikTok is estimated to have around 170 million EU users, mostly children, with 7% of 12-15 year olds spending 4 to 5 hours daily on the platform [8]. The EU said TikTok could face fines of up to 6% of its global annual turnover if found non-compliant with the DSA [1, 2, 8, 3, 4, 5].
The EU plans to consult the European Board for Digital Services on the findings and allow TikTok to respond in writing before any final decision [6, 7, 4]. Meanwhile, new EU rules are expected by the end of 2026 to ban children under 13 from using social media platforms [3].
