The Facts
The European Commission sent TikTok preliminary findings on July 24, 2026, indicating that the platform's treatment of minors' accounts does not meet the safety standards required under the Digital Services Act (DSA). The investigation identified specific failures in default account settings that expose children and teenagers to risks including unwanted contact from adults and potential predators.
Context
The Commission's preliminary findings are stark. According to the document, TikTok allows minors to set their accounts to "public" by default — something Brussels considers unacceptable. The Commission's position is clear: by default, minor accounts should limit visibility to approved followers only.
Additionally, content posted by 16 and 17-year-olds should not be globally accessible, and TikTok's algorithm should not recommend minors' content through the "For You" feed. The Commission also flagged that TikTok's age verification system is insufficient to ensure minors are actually using age-appropriate settings.
The investigation dates back to February 2024, when the Commission opened formal proceedings against TikTok under the DSA. Since then, the platform has implemented some changes, including the introduction of "teen accounts" with over 50 privacy and safety settings. However, the Commission considers these measures insufficient and argues that minor safety cannot be opt-in — it must be the default.
TikTok responded by stating that its policies already make children's accounts private by default and that the "teen accounts" feature was vetted by external experts. The company pledged to cooperate with the investigation.
Analysis
The Commission's preliminary findings represent one of the most significant moments in DSA enforcement since the legislation took effect. TikTok, with its enormous teen user base — over 40% of users in some European countries are estimated to be between 13 and 17 — is a crucial test case for the EU's ability to regulate digital platforms effectively.
The Commission's central argument is that minor safety should not be a setting — it should be architected into the platform itself. This approach echoes the "privacy by design" principle from the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), but applied specifically to child safety on social networks.
The timing is particularly relevant. These findings arrive amid growing global scrutiny over social media's impact on adolescent mental health. Multiple US states have sued TikTok over harm to minors, and the UK is implementing its Online Safety Act with similar requirements.
It's worth emphasizing that these are preliminary findings — not a final decision. TikTok will have the opportunity to respond and present its defense before the Commission decides whether to issue a formal non-compliance decision. If it does, the platform could face fines of up to 6% of its annual global turnover.
What to Watch
The outcome of this case could set a global precedent for how social media platforms handle minor safety. If the EU succeeds in forcing meaningful changes to TikTok's default settings, we're likely to see cascading effects in other jurisdictions — and on other platforms.
TikTok's response will be critical. The company could choose to contest the findings in European courts, stretching the case out for years, or it could accept the demands and implement changes, avoiding fines but potentially reducing engagement from its youngest user base.
For parents, educators, and policymakers, this is a moment to watch closely. What the EU decides about TikTok may well set the gold standard for child safety on digital platforms for years to come.
Sources: European Commission, TechTimes, JURIST
