EU opens formal investigation into TikTok over possible online content breaches

Marks the second DSA investigation after Elon Musk's social media platform X found itself in the EU's crosshairs in December last year.

The probe will home in on TikTok’s addictive design and screen time limits, its privacy settings, and the social media platform’s age verification procedures. 

TikTok owner ByteDance 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.

EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton announced that TikTok will face a formal investigation under the bloc’s flagship Digital Services Act — which empowers regulators to levy fines of as much as 6% of annual sales or ban repeat offenders from the EU.