Brazil fines TikTok US$30mil in ‘powerful signal’ over child safety

Brazil's data protection agency has imposed a fine of nearly US$30 million on TikTok for failing to implement adequate child safety measures. The agency views this hefty penalty as a "powerful signal" to other social media companies about the seriousness with which Brazil takes the matter of online child safety. Under the new regulations, users under the age of 16 are required to link their social media accounts to their parents', and TikTok was found to be not taking sufficient action to prevent underage users from accessing the platform and to ensure their data isn't being misused for targeted advertising.

TikTok agreed to a $400 million settlement with the US justice department in a lawsuit alleging that the platform collected children's personal data without parental consent. The ANPD has also ordered popular streaming platform Discord to suspend livestreams and video calls following allegations of a teenager being encouraged to take their own life during a broadcast.

In addition to the TikTok fine, the agency has ordered the ByteDance company to delete data collected in violation of regulations. TikTok has committed to implementing a compliance plan to strengthen child and adolescent protection, which includes stricter privacy settings for accounts belonging to children under 16, enhanced parental supervision systems, and more robust content filters.