The European Commission (EC) has accused TikTok of failing to protect minors' privacy under the Digital Services Act (DSA), sending preliminary findings that the platform's default settings expose accounts belonging to users under 18 to the public. The EC states minors can set accounts to public, and content from users aged 16–17 appears in the For You feed, enabling unwanted contact, cyberbullying, and predatory behavior.

The commission emphasized that platforms accessible to minors must ensure a high level of privacy, safety, and security, and TikTok's current settings "fail to meet this standard." Non-compliance could trigger a fine of up to six percent of the company's gross annual revenue. The EC recommended defaulting minor accounts to friends-only visibility and removing their content from algorithmic recommendations.

This marks the second DSA action against TikTok this year; earlier, the EC flagged "addictive design" features like infinite scroll and autoplay. Outside the EU, the UK's Ofcom also found the platform ineffective at preventing harmful content from reaching children.