Big Tech companies love to talk about default safety settings. They splash press releases across the web detailing built-in screen limits, parental dashboard features, and automated age restrictions.
European regulators aren't buying the PR campaign anymore. Meanwhile, you can read similar events here: Why Solar Impulse 2 Could Not Save Clean Aviation.
The European Commission issued formal preliminary charges against TikTok under the Digital Services Act (DSA). Regulators concluded that the platform fails to protect underage users, exposing kids to cyberbullying, predatory behavior, and unwanted contact from strangers.
If these findings stick, ByteDance faces fines reaching up to 6% of its global annual turnover. That is billions of dollars on the line over profile visibility and algorithm mechanics. To understand the bigger picture, check out the excellent report by Engadget.
Here is what is actually going on behind Brussels' crackdowns, why current safety features aren't working, and what this fight means for digital privacy.
The Flaw in TikTok Minor Account Settings
When you look at social media platforms, safety should be built directly into the foundation rather than sold as an optional feature. Under the DSA's rules for Very Large Online Platforms, high-level privacy and security for minors aren't optional—they are mandatory baseline standards.
EU regulators found that TikTok's default configurations leave severe loopholes:
- Public options for young teens: Kids aged 13 to 15 can easily bypass private settings and make their accounts completely public.
- Algorithmic amplification: Content published by older teens (ages 16–17) gets pushed to broader audiences through the main "For You" feed. Anyone on the internet, including unregistered viewers, can watch these videos.
- Exposed private profiles: Even when a minor sets their account to private, their profile photo remains publicly viewable, and strangers can easily locate their account via other users' follower lists.
When an account is public, anyone without a registered profile can watch, download, or re-upload a child's posts. That digital footprint stays online forever.
European Commission officials were blunt about the problem. Account privacy isn't a setting kids should have to figure out on their own. "Children's content must never be visible to strangers," noted commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier. "Putting default settings for minors is not a beauty contest under the DSA. It must be effective."
Why Opt-In Safety Features Aren't Enough
TikTok often counters regulatory pressure by pointing to its family pairing options, screen-time reminders, and automatic private account designations for younger teens.
Those features don't solve the core issue.
Parental controls require technical knowledge, constant monitoring, and active participation from parents who are already overwhelmed. Meanwhile, screen-time prompts are effortless for teenagers to tap past. When design features like infinite scrolling and continuous algorithmic rewards constantly draw users back in, simple popup notifications don't cut it.
Brussels expects platforms to adjust their default architecture.
Instead of letting a 14-year-old toggle their settings to "public" with two taps, the EU wants public content from minors restricted exclusively to approved followers. Content created by kids shouldn't be blasted out to a global recommendation feed full of adult strangers.
Tech Regulation Is Shifting Worldwide
This enforcement action isn't an isolated incident. It's part of a sweeping global movement toward strict online protection standards.
Australia made waves by advancing legislation to ban social media access entirely for children under 16. Member states across Europe—including Ireland and France—are exploring similar strict age verification systems and platform restrictions.
Regulators are moving away from passive "notice and action" frameworks. They're scrutinizing how platforms are engineered from the ground up. If continuous scrolling, automated autoplay, or exposed default settings create systemic risks for kids, the product itself must change.
How Parents and Tech Users Can Take Action Today
While regulatory battles play out in courtroom filings and European Commission headquarters, you don't have to wait for corporate structural changes to protect your family's data.
Here are four concrete steps to lock down minor accounts immediately:
- Audit privacy settings directly: Open TikTok, navigate to Settings and Privacy > Privacy, and ensure the account is explicitly set to Private Account.
- Turn off recommendation sharing: Disable the "Suggest your account to others" toggle to keep the profile from surfacing in stranger recommendation lists and external search results.
- Restrict direct messages and downloads: Set direct messaging to "No One" or "Friends Only," and disable video downloads so posted content can't be easily saved or redistributed off-platform.
- Use hardware-level limits: Don't rely solely on in-app screen time limits that are simple to dismiss. Use native system controls like Apple Screen Time or Android Family Link to enforce strict downtime limits at the device level.
The EU's formal charges prove that relying on tech companies to self-regulate minor safety is a losing strategy. Real systemic change will require a mix of massive regulatory fines and proactive security adjustments on our own devices.
