Italy fines TikTok $11 million for failing to protect minors
London (CNN) — Italy’s competition authority has fined TikTok €10 million ($11 million) for failing to control the spread of content that it said threatened the safety of minors and other vulnerable people.
Posted — UpdatedThe antitrust agency, AGCM, said Thursday that TikTok, which is owned by China’s ByteDance, had failed to take into account the specific vulnerabilities of adolescents using its platform, such as a tendency toward copying group behaviors.
The watchdog said in a statement that the video-sharing platform “has not taken adequate measures to avoid the spread of (harmful) content,” adding that its algorithms meant such content could be “systematically re-proposed to users.”
The AGCM pointed to a trend known as the ‘French Scar’ as an example of harmful content. The trend involved TikTok users pinching their own cheeks to leave a lasting bruise, Reuters reported last month.
A TikTok spokesperson told CNN that it disagreed with the AGCM’s decision. “We long ago restricted visibility of this content to (under-18s).”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Angelica Chiara Yazbeck contributed reporting.
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