Italy has imposed a fine of ten million euros on the Chinese social network TikTok for lack of control over content, in particular that which could threaten the safety of minors, the competition watchdog announced on Thursday.
Italy has imposed a fine of ten million euros on the Chinese social network TikTok for lack of control over content, in particular that which could threaten the safety of minors, the competition watchdog announced on Thursday. The sanction targets three companies of the Chinese giant Bytedance Ltd: the Irish TikTok Technology Limited, the British TikTok Information Technologies UK Limited and the Italian TikTok Italy Srl, said the Competition and Market Authority in a press release.
The vulnerability of adolescents not sufficiently taken into account
“The company’s controls over content circulating on the platform are inadequate, particularly those that may threaten the safety of minors,” she argued. The investigation made it possible to “confirm TikTok’s responsibility in the dissemination of content – such as that relating to the ‘French scar’ challenge – likely to harm the physical and psychological well-being of users, and particularly minors”, while TikTok is very popular among teenagers. In this challenge, explained by numerous tutorials on TikTok, middle school students pinch their cheeks very hard to create a false scar, a dangerous practice according to doctors. This phenomenon has appeared in France and Italy, causing concern in the education and health sectors.
The authority criticizes TikTok for not “taking into account the specific vulnerability of adolescents (…) for example their difficulty in distinguishing reality from fiction and their tendency to follow group behavior”. TikTok “disagrees with this decision”, reacted a spokesperson quoted by Italian media. “Content linked to the ‘French scar’ recorded a daily average of only around a hundred searches at the time the Authority’s investigation was opened last year,” he added, quoted by the RadioCor agency.
TikTok, a company in the crosshairs of global authorities
This sanction comes as the US House of Representatives adopted a bill on Wednesday that asks the network to cut all ties with China. TikTok has been in the crosshairs of American authorities for several months, with many officials believing that the application of short and entertaining videos allows Beijing to spy on and manipulate American citizens.
The Chinese group fiercely contests these allegations, denies having transmitted information to the Chinese authorities and assures that it would refuse any possible request in this direction.