EU issues preliminary findings that TikTok breached child safety rules, risking fine of up to 6% of global turnover
Brussels issued preliminary findings that TikTok's default settings left minors' profiles visible to strangers, potentially exposing them to cyberbullying and predatory behaviour. The platform could face a fine of up to 6% of its global annual turnover.
The findings
On 24 July 2026, the European Commission issued preliminary findings that TikTok breached the Digital Services Act (DSA) by failing to protect children's privacy. The probe, which began in 2024, concluded that the platform's default settings left minors' accounts visible to strangers. Users aged 13 to 15 could switch their profiles from private to public with little friction, while accounts of 16- and 17-year-olds remained open to anyone online, including people without a TikTok login. The Commission said this exposure created avenues for cyberbullying, unwanted contact, and predatory behaviour. Even private accounts were not fully safe, as they could be found through the 'following' and 'followers' lists of other users.
What the Commission says
Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier stressed that children's content must never be visible to strangers. He added that default settings for minors are "not a beauty contest under the DSA" and "must be effective". The DSA judges platforms on outcomes, not intentions, and the Commission is testing whether TikTok's default settings meet that standard. Henna Virkkunen, the EU's executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, said the law requires platforms to build safeguards into the design of their services and to answer for it when those safeguards fail.
Children's content must never be visible to strangers.
A high level of protection should not be an opt-in; it should be the default.
TikTok's defence
TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance, pushed back against the findings. The company said it would review the EU's documents and work constructively with the regulator. It pointed out that teen accounts have more than 50 preset privacy and safety features, informed by experts, from the moment they are set up. Under-18 accounts are private by default, and younger teens cannot use direct messaging or have their content appear in the For You feed. TikTok said it is one of the only platforms with such restrictions.
Teen accounts on TikTok have more than 50 preset privacy and safety features, informed by experts, from the moment they set up an account.
What happens next
These are preliminary findings, not a final verdict. TikTok can now inspect the Commission's file and reply in writing before any non-compliance decision is taken, a procedural stage that can run for months. If the response fails to satisfy investigators, the Commission can adopt a formal decision, order changes, and impose periodic penalty payments until the platform complies. The DSA allows fines of up to 6% of a company's total worldwide annual turnover, measured against the parent group rather than the European subsidiary. This is the fourth allegation against ByteDance's social media platform in two years. The company offered concessions to stave off fines in two previous cases, while a third case is still ongoing.
