Three units of the massive social media platform TikTok have been fined a total of 10 million euros ($10.94 million) by Italy’s antitrust watchdog for failing to adequately screen content that can endanger young or vulnerable users, the agency announced on Thursday.
Regulators from all over the world are putting pressure on social media businesses, like Facebook and Instagram parent Meta Platforms (META.O), and TikTok, which is controlled by the Chinese company ByteDance, to safeguard minor users.
The Italian regulatory body cited footage of adolescents engaging in the “French scar” challenge, which includes pinching cheeks to create a permanent bruise on the cheekbone and is a popular challenge among users.
In a response over the antitrust fine, a TikTok representative stated, “We disagree with this decision” and added that the company has “long ago restricted visibility” of French Scar videos for users who were younger than 18.
TikTok was forced to take down the videos last month by AGCOM, an independent regulatory body in Italy that oversees communications.
The possibly harmful videos were also disseminated via profiling algorithms, according to a statement released by the antitrust authorities on Thursday.
“TikTok has not taken adequate measures to prevent the spreading of such content, and has not fully complied with the guidelines it has adopted, reassuring customers that the platform is a ‘safe’ space,” the watchdog stated.
