PARIS — The French government has turned to national regulator Arcom to complain about a TikTok tan lines trend promoting hazardous sun exposure.
A growing number of TikTok videos depict young girls giving tips on how to get halterneck tan lines, or “burn lines,” primarily through sun exposure.
“These types of content, which are increasingly widespread, encourage dangerous behaviors that could seriously harm users’ health,” Health Minister Yannick Neuder and Digital Minister Clara Chappaz wrote in a letter to the national watchdog on Friday.
The two officials called on Arcom — in coordination with the European Commission, which enforces the new content moderation rules for major platforms like TikTok — to ensure social media companies are meeting their obligations under the Digital Services Act.
That includes protecting minors, evaluating and mitigating so-called systemic risks and being transparent about how their algorithms work. Paris urged the regulator to “compile a file to send to the appropriate coordinator and, if necessary, to collaborate with the European Commission services as part of a possible investigation.”
This isn’t the first time the government has taken action.
Back in April, Chappaz successfully called out TikTok over another trend dubbed ‘SkinnyTok’ — an algorithm-driven content stream that promotes extreme thinness and potentially harmful eating habits.
The Commission dialed up scrutiny of the platform, which has been under investigation for potential breaches of the DSA. TikTok ultimately banned the SkinnyTok hashtag amid pressure from regulators.
Arcom and TikTok didn’t respond to POLITICO’s request for a comment.
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