Tech

TikTok facing threat of EU fines in digital content clampdown

The probe comes four months after the media platform was fined almost €350m by Ireland’s data watchdog over its handling of teenagers’ privacy

The EU’s probe is focussed on TikTok’s addictive design and screen time limits, its privacy settings and the social media platform’s age verification procedures. Picture: Getty Images

TikTok risks heavy European Union penalties under tough new content rules for Big Tech after regulators announced a formal investigation into its alleged failure to protect minors who use the video-sharing platform.

Thierry Breton, EU internal market commissioner, announced on Monday that TikTok would face a formal investigation under the bloc’s flagship Digital Services Act — which empowers regulators to levy fines of as much as 6 per cent of annual sales, or ban repeat ...