Italy fines TikTok $11 million for failing to protect minors

Italy’s competition authority has fined TikTok €10 million ($11 million) for its failure to control the spread of harmful content. The platform, owned by China’s ByteDance, did not adequately consider the vulnerabilities of adolescents and their tendency to mimic group behaviors. The antitrust agency criticized TikTok for its algorithms that kept resurfacing such harmful content. One example mentioned was the ‘French Scar’ trend, where users purposefully pinched their cheeks to create a bruise. TikTok has disputed the agency’s decision, stating that they restricted the visibility of such content for users under 18.