The European Commission confirmed the penalty on Thursday, saying the Chinese e-commerce company did not properly identify and manage risks linked to products sold to EU consumers.

The case sits under the Digital Services Act, a law that governs large online platforms.

The Commission opened its investigation in 2024, shortly after Temu expanded further across Europe. It followed complaints from the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) and 17 of its national members.

Regulators said those complaints pointed to unsafe goods circulating widely on the platform.

Officials also carried out mystery shopping tests. A high number of phone chargers failed basic safety checks, while several baby toys also contained chemicals above legal limits or created choking risks.

The EU said Temu did not go far enough in assessing how its systems might increase those risks. It pointed to product recommendation tools and influencer-linked promotions that could push more unsafe goods into view.

Henna Virkkunen, a European Commission official responsible for technology, criticised the company’s approach.

She said “the company’s assessment of its risks leaves regulators, users, and the public in the dark about the true scale of potential harm posed by illegal products sold on Temu,”

“Now it is time for Temu to comply with the law,” she added.

The Commission said the platform must now submit a compliance plan by August 28, 2026. Officials will review the plan two months after submission to decide if Temu has met its obligations.

Temu responded to the decision and rejected parts of the findings. A spokesperson said: “Temu respects the objectives of the Digital Services Act and the need for clear, consistent rules across the digital economy. However, we disagree with the European Commission’s decision and consider the fine to be disproportionate,”

The company added: “The decision relates to our first DSA assessment in 2024 and does not reflect the current state of our systems. Temu engaged constructively with the Commission throughout the process and has since taken further steps to strengthen risk assessment, platform governance, and user protection,”

Temu also said it would continue to work with regulators and consider its options.

The penalty is the second enforcement action under the Digital Services Act. It is also the largest fine issued so far under the law. The first was against X, which faced a penalty over transparency issues.

The law requires large platforms to identify and reduce systemic risks. It also demands stronger oversight of illegal or harmful products, along with clearer information on how recommendation systems operate.

Beyond Temu, the EU investigation also revealed issues about low-cost imports from China. Officials have been placing focus on large online marketplaces as part of trade and consumer protection efforts.

Other platforms are also under review. Shein and AliExpress are both facing separate investigations linked to unsafe or counterfeit goods.

Meanwhile, JD.com is under examination over its planned purchase of German retailer Ceconomy, with regulators questioning whether foreign subsidies may distort competition.

There is also a policy debate inside the EU, with officials discussing new trade and industrial measures aimed at balancing competition with Chinese e-commerce firms and protecting local businesses.

The issue has also reached the global level. In the United States, Temu stopped shipping directly from China after a policy change closed a duty exemption on low-value imports.

The company said on Tuesday it will apply its latest detection tools in 27 European Union countries and also bring the system to Facebook in the US for the first time, with the UK and EU rollout on that platform set to follow in June.

This builds on earlier work to identify teenagers even when they enter false birth dates. Meta has been testing systems that flag accounts it believes belong to younger users and then apply stricter settings automatically.

“This technology will be expanded to 27 countries in the European Union. Meta is also expanding this technology to Facebook in the United States for the first time, with the UK and EU to follow in June,” the company said in a blog post.

Pressure has been growing on technology firms to show how they protect young users. Regulators and parents have complained about harmful content, online abuse and the effect of social media on teenagers.

Meta says it now relies more on artificial intelligence to assess whether an account belongs to a minor. The system does not depend only on the date of birth entered by users. Instead, it reviews activity across profiles.

That includes posts, comments, captions and other signals. For example, references to school life or birthday celebrations may point to a younger age. The company has also added visual analysis, allowing its systems to review images and videos for general age cues.

Meta stressed that the technology is not facial recognition, saying the system looks at broad features, not identity.

If an account is judged to be underage, it may be deactivated, while the user would then need to prove their age to restore access. Meta is also trying to stop repeat attempts by users it believes are below the minimum age.

At the same time, Meta is expanding its “Teen Account” settings. These place limits on who can contact younger users and the type of content they see. Accounts suspected to belong to teenagers are moved into these settings by default.

The company further revealed it has already enrolled hundreds of millions of users into these protections across Instagram, Facebook and Messenger since 2024.

For parents, Meta will begin sending notifications in the US with guidance on how to check a teenager’s age settings. The messages will include advice on discussing honest age reporting online.

“We’re continuing to strengthen our underage enforcement measures by using AI to remove people under 13 from our services.”

Meta added that age verification is an industry problem. It said app stores should take a stronger role by confirming users’ ages and sharing that information with developers.

Driving its own systems, Meta plans to expand the technology further this year, aiming for more global coverage.

The regulator said it had reviewed evidence and decided to examine whether Telegram has failed, or is failing, to meet its legal duties on illegal content under the Online Safety Act 2023.

The case adds to complaints on online platforms operating in the United Kingdom, where authorities want stronger protection for children from harm online.

Ofcom said the law requires platforms to reduce risks linked to illegal material and act where such content appears. It added that companies must be able to show they are meeting those duties.

Telegram rejected the allegations.

The company said it “categorically” denied Ofcom’s accusations. It added that since 2018 it had “virtually eliminated” the public spread of child sexual abuse material through detection algorithms.

Telegram also said, “We are surprised by this investigation and concerned that it may be part of a broader attack on online platforms that defend freedom of speech and the right to privacy.”

The regulator also opened separate investigations into Teen Chat and Chat Avenue. It said it was unconvinced that both platforms were doing enough to protect children from grooming risks.

Suzanne Cater, Ofcom’s director of Enforcement, said, “These firms must do more to protect children, or face serious consequences under the Online Safety Act.”

The inquiry comes as Keir Starmer’s government pushes for tighter online safeguards, especially for younger users.

Telegram has faced similar cases elsewhere. In February, Australia’s online safety regulator fined the company after delays in answering questions about measures against child abuse and violent extremist material.

The UK law is considered one of the strictest internet safety frameworks in the world. It places direct responsibility on platforms to tackle illegal and harmful content or risk enforcement action.

The company says the feature works in the background, scanning account-level and behavioural signals to judge whether an account is likely run by someone under 18. 

When that threshold is crossed, content limits are switched on automatically. The idea, OpenAI argues, is to give teens a safer version of the product without forcing every user through upfront identity checks.

This is a response to  complaints the company has received over how its tools affect children. OpenAI has been warned by regulators over past incidents involving young users, and this rollout reveals a transition from reactive fixes to a more systemic safeguard.

According to OpenAI, the age prediction system looks at factors such as how long an account has existed, typical usage times, long-term patterns, and the age a user claims when signing up. 

No single signal decides the result. Instead, they are weighed together to reach a probability-based judgement.

When an account is flagged as under 18, ChatGPT applies restrictions around sensitive areas. These include graphic violence, depictions of self-harm, sexual or violent role play, risky online challenges, and content that promotes extreme body ideals or unhealthy dieting. If the system is unsure about someone’s age, it defaults to the safer setting.

OpenAI said in its announcement: “We’re rolling out age prediction on ChatGPT consumer plans to help determine whether an account likely belongs to someone under 18, so the right experience and safeguards can be applied to teens.”

Adults who are wrongly placed into the under-18 experience are not locked out permanently. They can verify their age through Persona, a third-party identity service, by submitting a live selfie and, in some regions, a government-issued ID. OpenAI maintains that it does not receive copies of these documents, only confirmation of age.

The company is also leaning on parental controls, allowing guardians to set usage limits, restrict features such as memory, and receive alerts if signs of serious distress appear. These tools, OpenAI says, are optional but designed to give families more oversight.

The rollout is already live in many regions, with Europe scheduled to follow in the coming weeks due to regulatory requirements. OpenAI says it will monitor how the system performs and adjust it over time, refining which signals are most important and closing gaps where users try to bypass safeguards.

The alliance of women’s rights groups, parent advocates and political organisations are accusing the Elon Musk-owned services of breaching app store regulations and exposing women and children to abuse. 

In the open letters released on Wednesday, the campaigners say the apps are being used to generate illegal and degrading material at scale.

At the centre of the campaign are groups including UltraViolet, the National Organisation for Women, MoveOn and ParentsTogether Action. They argue that the continued availability of X and Grok on app stores gives legitimacy to tools that are being misused to create sexualised images without consent.

“We are really imploring Apple and Google to take this extremely seriously,” Jenna Sherman, UltraViolet’s campaign director, said ahead of the letters’ publication. “They are enabling a system in which thousands, if not tens of thousands, of people, particularly women and children, are being sexually abused through the help of their own app stores.”

The issue got worse after X was flooded around the new year with highly realistic images of women and minors, many of them sexualised. While X later adjusted Grok so that images it creates or edits are not automatically shared publicly, tests carried out this week showed the chatbot could still generate bikini-clad versions of people’s photos on request.

Outside the United States, regulators from Malaysia and Indonesia became the first countries to ban Grok in January 2026 due to the creation of sexually explicit and non-consensual images. 

In Europe, the Commission has ordered X to preserve Grok-related records until the end of 2026 as part of an investigation under the Digital Services Act. Authorities in the UK and several other countries have also demanded explanations over how the tool is being used.

Whereas, in Washington, three Democratic senators have written to Apple and Google, urging them to remove X and Grok from their app stores and warning of the risks they project on women and children if the apps remain available.

Some organisations are no longer waiting for regulators or tech firms to decide. This week, the American Federation of Teachers announced it was leaving X, calling Grok’s Al-generated child images “the last straw.” For campaigners, that decision is being held up as proof that the issue has crossed a line.

Responses from the companies involved have been limited. X did not reply to requests for comment. Its parent company, xAI, responded to criticism with the words, “Legacy Media Lies.” Apple and Google have also declined to comment publicly, despite repeated requests.

Sherman said the moment is a test of credibility for the app store operators. While both companies usually stress their commitment to child safety, she argued that their handling of X and Grok would show “what their values actually are in practice.”

In its preliminary findings released on Friday, the Commission said Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok may have placed “burdensome procedures and tools” that make it difficult for independent researchers to examine how these platforms influence public life, health, and safety. 

It described such access as “an essential transparency obligation under the DSA, as it provides public scrutiny into the potential impact of platforms on our physical and mental health.”

Meta and TikTok both denied wrongdoing; a Meta spokesperson told Reuters, “We have introduced changes to our content reporting options, appeals process, and data access tools since the DSA came into force and are confident that these solutions match what is required under the law in the EU.” 

TikTok, however, maintained that while it supports transparency, regulatory overlaps complicate compliance. “But requirements to ease data safeguards place the DSA and GDPR in direct tension,” a company spokesperson said. 

“If it is not possible to fully comply with both, we urge regulators to provide clarity on how these obligations should be reconciled.”

The DSA, which came fully into effect in August 2023, imposes strict obligations on “Very Large Online Platforms” such as Meta and TikTok. These platforms are expected to give researchers access to public data, allow users to report illegal content like hate speech or terrorism, and disclose how their algorithms make content recommendations.

The Commission said Meta’s Facebook and Instagram failed to offer a “user-friendly and easily accessible” system for flagging harmful content, including child sexual abuse and terrorist material. It also accused Meta of using “deceptive interface designs” that could confuse or discourage users from reporting such posts. 

TikTok’s data-sharing framework was similarly criticised for being unreliable and incomplete, limiting research into online harms.

If these violations are confirmed after further consultations, both companies could face fines of up to 6% of their global annual revenue, a penalty that could cost Meta more than $7 billion based on its 2024 earnings.

Despite the serious implications, the findings are preliminary. The companies have the opportunity to respond and address the breaches before any final decision is made. The Meta spokesperson added that the company would “continue to negotiate with the Commission.”

The probe forms part of the EU’s focus on Big Tech, which has already placed X (formerly Twitter), Google, YouTube, and Amazon under investigation for issues ranging from disinformation to product safety.

This development comes at a time when regulators and parents are questioning the safety of AI tools for young users.

The new feature allows parents and teenagers to link their accounts, enabling a set of safeguards once both sides accept the invitation. Once connected, parents can decide whether ChatGPT stores past conversations, generates images, or operates in voice mode. 

They can also set “quiet hours” to block usage during certain times and prevent their child’s chats from being used to train OpenAI’s systems.

While parents gain more control, they will not be able to read transcripts of their teenager’s conversations. OpenAI explained that in rare situations where serious safety risks are detected, parents may receive alerts containing only the details necessary to protect their child.

A key part of the update is the enhanced content protections built into linked teen accounts. These filters aim to reduce exposure to harmful material such as graphic content, viral challenges, violent or romantic roleplay, and extreme beauty standards. OpenAI stressed that these protections were developed after reviewing research on adolescent development.

Robbie Torney, senior director of AI Programmes at Common Sense Media, welcomed the step but emphasised the role of families in creating safer digital spaces: “These parental controls are a good starting point for parents in managing their teen’s ChatGPT use. Parental controls are just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to keeping teens safe online, though—they work best when combined with ongoing conversations about responsible AI use, clear family rules about technology, and active involvement in understanding what their teen is doing online.”

The company has also introduced a resource page for parents, bringing together guidance on ChatGPT, tips for safe use, and expert advice. It said the tools will continue to evolve, especially as work progresses on an age-prediction system designed to automatically apply teen-appropriate settings.

In recent months, U.S. regulators have investigated whether chatbots expose minors to harmful interactions. Meta, for instance, had a case when its AI systems were found to allow “flirty” conversations with teenagers.

OpenAI, backed by Microsoft, reported that ChatGPT currently has around 700 million weekly active users; with its new parental controls, the company is hoping to strike a balance between protecting teenagers and supporting families in navigating the fast-growing influence of artificial intelligence at home.

The decision follows cases within government circles over what they describe as a “pattern of negligence” by social media firms in responding to police requests. Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil criticised TikTok’s response times.

“TikTok was very slow in providing information… to the point that I had to call TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew to inform him, ‘this is a crime that’s being committed and your organisation is very slow’,” Fahmi said, warning that such behaviour would not be tolerated.

The trigger for this confrontation was a viral TikTok video in which a man falsely claimed to be a pathologist working on the investigation into the death of Zara Qairina Mahathir, a case that has attracted public attention. Authorities say TikTok’s delay in handling the matter forced the minister to personally intervene.

Top executives of TikTok are expected to appear at Malaysia’s federal police headquarters, Bukit Aman, on Thursday. The Inspector-General of Police and the Attorney-General will also attend the meeting.

Meta has not been spared as the company, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, is being summoned over disturbing materials linked to paedophilia that spread across its platforms, including content uncovered during a cybercrime operation known as Operation Pedo. 

Authorities have specifically flagged an online group called Geng Budak Sekolah, which circulated indecent content targeting children.

The Malaysian government has classified several categories of online activity as harmful. These include gambling, scams, child pornography and grooming, cyberbullying, and content linked to race, religion, and royalty. Officials argue that these categories pose both social and national security risks.

Fahmi has insisted that every platform must comply with local laws and respond quickly to enforcement requests. “We see these platforms are not taking the matter seriously, so the dialogue process will continue, and we will stress that Malaysian law applies to them and they must comply. We will summon every platform,” he said.

At the Al Grand Prix Conference 2025, Fahmi also disclosed that Malaysia is considering mandatory identity verification for all online sales and advertising. The proposal is intended to limit fake accounts, deepfakes, and fraud. Singapore already enforces a similar policy, and Malaysia is positioning itself to follow that model.

The issue aligns with international trends where Governments from India to Indonesia, and even within the European Union, are tightening regulations on global tech giants, imposing fines, and in some cases threatening outright bans for non-compliance.

Neither TikTok nor Meta has issued an immediate public response to Malaysia’s latest move.

This follows thousands of questionable ads bypassing Meta’s screening process and appearing across Facebook and Instagram.

Between 1st and 14th January 2025 alone, CrushAI reportedly managed to push over 8,000 ads for its so-called “AI undresser” through Meta’s platforms. These ads linked users to sites that used artificial image manipulation to simulate nudity. 

Most of the app’s traffic, around 90%, according to Alexios Mantzarlis of the Faked Up newsletter, came directly from Meta-owned platforms.

The scale and frequency of these violations are not only a policy breach but a direct attack on user safety and digital dignity. Meta says it repeatedly removed these ads, but Joy Timeline HK continued, setting up new accounts and domains faster than the company could block them. 

In one case, ad accounts appeared under names like “Eraser Annyone’s Clothes” with a rotating list of numeric identifiers.

“I flagged several of these websites to Meta myself,” Mantzarlis wrote in January, highlighting how even public reporting didn’t immediately stop the flood of inappropriate content.

Meta’s frustration appears to have reached a boiling point. The lawsuit is a shift from internal enforcement to legal confrontation. It also notes a recognition that digital safety measures must evolve faster to deal with bad actors who are usually more agile and less bound by ethical or legal constraints.

These “nudify” tools have become a a challenge across the internet. Platforms like X, Reddit, YouTube, and even app stores have seen a surge in such services, with ads targeting users indiscriminately. 

TikTok and Meta have both banned search terms like “nudify” and “undress,” but policing this content has proven far more difficult in practice.

To stay ahead, Meta says it has built new detection systems capable of identifying problematic ads even when no explicit imagery is used. These systems use matching technology and a larger database of flagged terms and symbols to uncover deceptive ad content that previously went undetected.

The company is also disrupting coordinated ad networks. Since January 2025, Meta claims it has dismantled four major clusters of fake advertiser accounts promoting nudify services. These operations mirrored tactics used by disinformation and fraud networks, rapid domain switching, coordinated accounts, and evasion of AI filters.

“Today, we’ve filed a lawsuit against the entity behind CrushAI and are taking other steps to clamp down on nudify apps,” Meta said in a statement. “We have strict rules against non-consensual intimate imagery – whether it’s real or AI-generated – including the promotion of nudify apps.”

Meta has begun sharing intelligence with other tech companies through the Tech Coalition’s Lantern programme, a partnership involving platforms like Google and Snap to tackle child exploitation. Since March, Meta has supplied more than 3,800 offending URLs for review and takedown.

The firm is also lobbying for stronger legislative frameworks. In the U.S., Meta backed the Take It Down Act, which gives parents more control over app downloads and aims to limit children’s exposure to harmful tools.

The company says it’s working closely with lawmakers to put these measures into effect globally.