The European Consumer Organisation BEUC has filed a complaint against TikTok over breaches of EU consumer rights laws and failing to “protect children from hidden advertising and inappropriate content.”

BEAUC, which filed the complaint with both the European Commission and the network of consumer protection authorities, is not the only organisation to have complained about alleged legal breaches.

Other consumer organisations across 15 European countries have also alerted authorities and urged them to investigate the social media platform.

BEAUC has called for authorities to launch a comprehensive investigation into the company’s policies and practices to make sure it respects EU consumer rights.

The organisation claims that several terms in TikTok’s ‘Terms of Service’ are “unfair” because they are “unclear, ambiguous and favour TikTok to the detriment of its users.”

It also said that the online platform’s copyright terms are “equally unfair” as they give TikTok an “irrevocable right to use, distribute and reproduce the videos published by users, without remuneration.”

On TikTok users are able to purchase coins which they use for virtual gifts for TikTok celebrities whose performance they like.

BEAUC said that the ‘Virtual Item Policy’ managing this feature contains “unfair terms” and “misleading practices.

“TikTok claims for instance an absolute right to modify the exchange rate between the coins and the gifts, potentially skewing the financial transaction in its own favour,” said the organisation.

Alongside this, the organisation said that the app fails to protect children and teenagers from hidden advertising and potentially harmful content on its platform.

“Users are for instance triggered to participate in branded hashtag challenges where they are encouraged to create content of specific products,” it explained. “As popular influencers are often the starting point of such challenges the commercial intent is usually masked for users.”

The complaint also suggested that TikTok’s practices for the processing of users’ personal data are “misleading.”

BEAU accused the company of not clearly informing its users, “especially in a way comprehensible to children and teenagers,” about what personal data is collected, for what purpose and for what legal reason.

“In just a few years, TikTok has become one of the most popular social media apps with millions of users across Europe,” said Monique Goyens, director general of The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC.) “But TikTok is letting its users down by breaching their rights on a massive scale. We have discovered a whole series of consumer rights infringements and therefore filed a complaint against TikTok.

She said: “Children love TikTok but the company fails to keep them protected. We do not want our youngest ones to be exposed to pervasive hidden advertising and unknowingly turned into billboards when they are just trying to have fun.”

Goyens urged authorities to “take swift action” together with its members and consumer groups from across Europe.

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