The move marks the first enforcement action under the landmark DSA, which came into force on Saturday.

The action concerns the protection of minors, advertising transparency, data access for researchers, as well as the risk management of addictive design and harmful content, the Commission said in a statement today.

Margrethe Vestager, executive vice-president for a Europe Fit for the Digital Age, said: “The safety and well-being of online users in Europe is crucial. TikTok needs to take a close look at the services they offer and carefully consider the risks that they pose to their users — young as well as old.

“The Commission will now carry out an in-depth investigation without prejudice to the outcome.”

Thierry Breton, commissioner for the internal market, added: “The protection of minors is a top enforcement priority for the DSA. As a platform that reaches millions of children and teenagers, TikTok must fully comply with the DSA and has a particular role to play in the protection of minors online.

“We are launching this formal infringement proceeding today to ensure that proportionate action is taken to protect the physical and emotional well-being of young Europeans. We must spare no effort to protect our children.”

A spokesperson for TikTok said: “TikTok has pioneered features and settings to protect teens and keep under-13s off the platform, issues the whole industry is grappling with.

“We’ll continue to work with experts and industry to keep young people on TikTok safe, and look forward to now having the opportunity to explain this work in detail to the Commission.”