Days after New York City filed a lawsuit against ByteDance-owned TikTok over alleged harm to minors’ mental health, the European Union has initiated a formal investigation into the social media platform for potential breaches of online content regulations.
What Happened: The body’s industry chief, Thierry Breton, announced on Monday that the EU will be investigating TikTok for possible violations of online content regulations designed to protect minors and ensure transparent advertising, reported Reuters.
“Today we open an investigation into TikTok over suspected breach of transparency & obligations to protect minors: addictive design & screen time limits, rabbit hole effect, age verification, default privacy settings,” said Breton, according to the report.
The investigation will focus on TikTok’s risk assessment report, its responses to requests for information, and its compliance with the Digital Services Act, which became effective for all online platforms on Feb. 17.
The DSA requires large online platforms and search engines to take more stringent measures against illegal online content and public security risks.
If TikTok is found guilty of breaching DSA rules, ByteDance could face fines of up to 6% of its global turnover. The investigation will specifically examine TikTok’s system design, including algorithmic systems that may encourage behavioral addictions and ‘rabbit hole effects.’
“TikTok has pioneered features and settings to protect teens and keep under 13s off the platform, issues the whole industry is grappling with,” a TikTok spokesperson said.
Why It Matters: The EU’s investigation comes in the wake of New York City’s legal action against major social media platforms, including TikTok, for allegedly causing mental health issues among young users.
The lawsuit, filed in the Los Angeles County branch of the California Superior Court, accused the companies of deliberately designing and marketing their platforms to attract and addict young users, with minimal parental oversight.
Earlier in February, President Joe Biden‘s campaign’s decision to join TikTok, which sparked bipartisan criticism as lawmakers expressed concerns about national security and data privacy.
Previously, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) criticized the ability of big tech platforms to effectively police themselves during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on children's safety online.
"Collectively, your platforms really s**k at policing themselves," he said at the time.
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