EU investigates TikTok over child protection concerns

The European Commission (EC) has initiated formal investigations into TikTok, a video-sharing app owned by China's ByteDance, over concerns regarding its handling of negative impacts on young people and potential breaches of online content rules. Specifically, the EC is examining the "rabbit hole" effect, where users are shown related content based on an algorithm that may lead to harmful or addictive viewing experiences. Additionally, the EC is investigating TikTok's age verification tools and transparency obligations to protect minors. This investigation comes after similar probes were launched against YouTube last year. The EU aims to ensure that these platforms comply with European regulations on online content and the protection of minors.