TikTok defends youth safety tools as EU weighs social media limits

TikTok’s public policy chief said the company has built multiple safety features for younger users as European leaders consider tighter rules on children’s access to social media. Ali Law, TikTok’s director of public policy and government affairs in Northern Europe, said the platform was designed with safety in mind and noted that it offers more than 50 preset protections for users under 16. Those measures include a onehour screen time limit, a latenight break prompt, and restrictions on direct messaging for younger teens. The comments came after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU is moving ahead with plans to address children’s use of social media, including the possibility of an age limit. Several countries, including Australia, the U.K., France, Greece, and Spain, have already introduced or announced similar steps as lawmakers increase scrutiny of features seen as addictive.