TikTok Defends 50-Plus Youth Safety Settings as EU Eyes Social Media Age Limits
Updated
Updated · CNBC · Jul 14
TikTok Defends 50-Plus Youth Safety Settings as EU Eyes Social Media Age Limits
3 articles · Updated · CNBC · Jul 14
Summary
Ali Law, TikTok’s Northern Europe policy chief, said the app was built with “safety by design” as the EU moves toward tighter limits on children’s social media use.
More than 50 preset protections already apply to users under 16, he said, including a one-hour screen-time limit, a 10 p.m. break prompt, and bans on direct messages and TikTok Shop access.
The defense comes after Ursula von der Leyen said the EU will press ahead with child-safety measures, including exploring a minimum age for joining platforms, arguing that “predatory algorithms” should not shape children.
TikTok remains under pressure over addictive-design concerns such as infinite scroll, autoplay and push notifications, even after spending $2 billion on trust and safety last year.
Can platforms built on maximizing user engagement ever be truly safe for children by design?
As governments restrict major apps, are kids being pushed into darker, unmonitored corners of the web?
EU’s 2026 Plan for Child Online Safety: Phased Social Media Access, Age Verification, and Design Regulation
Overview
The European Union is moving forward with a major legal proposal, expected in late 2026, to better protect children on social media. Driven by growing concerns about young users’ digital well-being, EU leaders argue that parents—not algorithms—should guide children’s online experiences. Current age restrictions are seen as too easy to bypass, and regulators have criticized platforms like Instagram for failing to keep underage users off their sites. With many children spending hours online each day, the EU aims to introduce phased access and hold platforms accountable for their design choices, ensuring safer and more age-appropriate digital environments.