The EU Commission and consumer protection authorities screened social media posts from 576 influencers to verify compliance with EU consumer law regarding advertising disclosure. Findings revealed that while 97% posted commercial content, only 20% consistently disclosed it as advertising. Other findings included 30% of influencers not providing any company details on their posts, and 38% not using platform labels that serve to disclose commercial content. The sweep resulted in 358 influencers being earmarked for further investigation. The Commission will also analyze the results of the sweep in light of the legal obligations of the platforms under the Digital Services Act (DSA) and take necessary enforcement action where appropriate.

The European Commission has initiated formal proceedings against TikTok to assess potential breaches of the Digital Services Act (DSA). The investigation focuses on areas such as the protection of minors, advertising transparency, data access for researchers, and risk management of addictive design and harmful content. Specifically, TikTok's compliance with DSA obligations related to the assessment and mitigation of negative effects from its system design, including algorithmic systems that may stimulate behavioral addictions, is being examined. The investigation also includes an evaluation of TikTok's age verification tools and their effectiveness in preventing access by minors to inappropriate content. Additionally, the Commission is assessing whether TikTok has implemented appropriate measures to ensure privacy, safety, and security for minors, particularly in relation to default privacy settings.