BEUC NEWS - 27.10.2021

BEUC has written to European regulators for audiovisual services (ERGA) to complain about Ireland’s delay in enforcing the EU’s rules on audiovisual services. BEUC has found that children are subjected to various types of hidden advertising and inappropriate content on TikTok and raised the issue with the ERGA in 2021.

For video sharing platforms that, like TikTok, are established in Ireland, it is up to the Irish authorities to enforce EU audiovisual media rules that protect children from hidden advertising and inappropriate content. However the revised EU Audiovisual Media Services Directive has not been transposed in Ireland and the country's broadcasting authority does not have the competence to act. The Irish authorities are currently subject to EU infringement proceedings for failing to implement the EU’s directive.

BEUC is calling on authorities from the rest of the EU to come up with interim solutions when a Member State fails to take action, which ends up harming children across the continent. Problems with enforcing the law in one country should not hold up consumer protection across the whole of the EU.