Minors in danger? EU accuses TikTok of violating DSA

The EU has once again set its sights on TikTok. This time, the video platform is accused of violating the Digital Services Act (DSA). However, the authorities are not focusing on TikTok itself, but on its offshoot TikTok Lite.

Renewed proceedings against TikTok

The EU Commission considers it possible that the TikTok Lite app version could pose a risk to the mental health of young people. If this is the case, the company would clearly be in breach of the DSA rules. The EU has now initiated a corresponding investigation, as the Commission officially announced on April 22.

An investigation is to reveal whether the app offshoot could pose a risk of addiction for minors. Risks of addiction are said to result from the questionable points system used in TikTok Lite. Users can collect points by completing various tasks. Among other things, points are awarded for watching videos.

This makes it clear even to non-experts that excessive video consumption is rewarded without further ado. Naturally, this quickly falls on fertile ground with minors. As TikTok Lite does not check the age of users, the risk of addiction is not only for older users, but also for children and young people.

Questionable approach to app release

However, the market launch of TikTok Lite was already a thorn in the side of the EU. Normally, such releases are usually accompanied by official risk assessments from the app developer. These are intended to make it clear that the application poses no danger to users. TikTok did not adhere to this. Instead, the app could already be downloaded in France and Spain without the report originally announced for April 18 having been submitted.

As a result, the EU has not yet been able to assess the safety of the app. TikTok is now expected to submit the requested paper at a later date. The deadline is extremely strict. The EU is still demanding a corresponding risk assessment today. The Commission intends to demand a fine for every day that the video platform remains in default. This could correspond to 1% of annual global turnover per day.

This is unlikely to be too small. The platform recorded a global turnover of 4.11 billion US dollars in the fourth quarter of 2023 alone. By taking action against TikTok, the EU is making it clear that the DSA is not just smoke and mirrors, but is taking a clear stance against the internet giants. Meanwhile, the video platform should be keen to make amends with the authorities quickly. After all, a ban has been hotly debated for some time.