TikTok has been fined approximately $370 million by European Union regulators for inadequate safeguards protecting the personal information of children on the platform
The penalty was issued by Ireland's Data Protection Commission on behalf of the EU, marking the first fine against TikTok for data protection violations in the bloc
Concerns about TikTok's data-collection practices and its impact on young people's mental health have been growing among parents, policymakers, and regulators
In a 2022 survey, 67 percent of American teens reported using TikTok, with 16 percent using it "almost constantly
TikTok's links to China, where its parent company ByteDance is based, have intensified concerns
Irish regulators are investigating whether TikTok unlawfully sends EU user data to China, with results expected by year-end
In the U.S., state and federal policymakers have grappled with regulating TikTok, with some agencies prohibiting its use on work devices due to data security concerns
In the European Union, TikTok was found to have violated data protection rules by defaulting to public settings for videos and posts, exposing young users' information
TikTok was also criticized for not adequately preventing underage users from bypassing age restrictions and for using "dark patterns" to encourage less privacy
TikTok argued that it had already made policy changes related to child protection in 2021 and disagreed with the fine's level