TikTok faces a fine in Italy following a consumer safety investigation sparked by the “French scar” challenge

Italy’s competition and consumer authority, the AGCM, has imposed a fine of €10 million (almost $11 million) on TikTok following an investigation into algorithmic safety concerns.

The probe was initiated last year after reports of a “French scar” challenge on the platform, where users shared videos of marks on their faces made by pinching their skin.

In a press release on Thursday, the AGCM stated that three regional companies within the ByteDance group, namely TikTok Technology Limited based in Ireland, TikTok Information Technologies UK Limited, and TikTok Italy Srl, were sanctioned for what it deemed an “unfair commercial practice.”

The AGCM highlighted TikTok’s failure to implement suitable mechanisms to monitor content, particularly that which could endanger minors and vulnerable individuals. It noted that such content was systematically recommended to users through algorithmic profiling, encouraging increased use of the platform.

The investigation confirmed TikTok’s responsibility in disseminating content likely to threaten the psycho-physical safety of users, especially minors and vulnerable individuals, such as videos related to the “French scar” challenge. It also found that TikTok did not take sufficient measures to prevent the spread of such content and did not fully comply with its own platform guidelines.

Furthermore, the AGCM criticized TikTok’s application of guidelines, noting that they were not adequately tailored to address the specific vulnerability of adolescents. It emphasized the role of TikTok’s recommendation system in spreading potentially harmful content, highlighting the platform’s incentive to drive engagement and increase user interactions to boost ad revenue.

TikTok’s recommendation system, powering features like “For You” and “Followed” feeds, relies on algorithmic profiling of users, tracking their digital activity to determine the content they are shown.