# Social media regulation and minor safety scrutiny > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/social-media-regulation-and-minor-safety-scrutiny > Updated: 2026-09-04T02:17:00.000Z. Sources: 15. Developments: 3. Regulators in the United States and Europe are increasing pressure on social media companies regarding the psychological and safety impacts of their platforms on users, particularly minors. In the United States, Meta is facing lawsuits from over thirty states alleging that Facebook and Instagram were intentionally designed to foster addiction and mental distress among children and adolescents. These legal challenges follow a New Mexico ruling where the company was held responsible for misleading users about safety risks to children. In the European Union, the European Commission is utilizing the Digital Services Act (DSA) to investigate “addictive design” features. The Commission has specifically targeted TikTok, calling for automatic privacy protections for adolescents and requesting that videos of minors be excluded from “For You” feed recommendations. Failure to comply could result in fines of up to 6% of turnover. New scrutiny in Germany has highlighted risks regarding violent content. An investigation by the Landesanstalt für Kommunikation Baden-Württemberg (LFK) found that TikTok’s algorithms can expose minors to an “attacker fan scene,” where content glorifies or trivializes perpetrators of mass shootings and terrorist attacks. Simulations showed that accounts expressing interest in violent content received approximately 22 percent of videos related to violent acts on their “For You Page,” including AI-generated content and gameplay recreations. The Baden-Württemberg Office for Protection of the Constitution warned that such subcultures could radicalize young users. This follows research from Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) showing that while 80% of German adolescents rate social media positively, 47% support age restrictions, with 14 being the average age they deem appropriate for use. ## Claims - Online fan scenes heroize, romanticize, or glorify attackers and school shooters. (corroborated by 2 sources) - Participants in these online fan scenes are often young people with an extreme affinity for violence. (corroborated by 2 sources) ## Timeline ### 2026-09-04: TikTok under EU scrutiny over violent content and youth protection German regulators have alerted the EU Commission to TikTok’s role in spreading an “attacker fan scene” that glorifies violent perpetrators and exposes minors to radicalizing content via its algorithms. 10 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/online-fan-scenes-glorify-attackers-as-radicalization-risks-rise ### 2026-08-31: European Commission targets TikTok over minor privacy protections The EU Commission is targeting TikTok over minor privacy protections under the DSA, while a German study shows nearly half of teenagers support age limits for social media use. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/european-commission-targets-tiktok-over-minor-privacy-protections ### 2026-08-25: Tech giants face scrutiny over addictive social media design Regulators in the EU and legal actions in the US are targeting social media giants like Meta and TikTok over “addictive design” features accused of harming mental health, particularly in children. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/tech-giants-face-scrutiny-over-addictive-social-media-design --- Cite as: Social media regulation and minor safety scrutiny. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/social-media-regulation-and-minor-safety-scrutiny