TikTok began on Tuesday (17) making all accounts of users under 16 private, to comply with the ECA Digital. The change requires parental authorization for alterations and complements existing restrictions. The law takes effect today, but its decree was postponed.
TikTok announced changes to accounts of teenagers under 16 starting March 17, 2026, to comply with the ECA Digital, new legislation setting rules for protecting minors on digital platforms. Profiles of these users become private automatically, and any change requires parental authorization via email or SMS. Without authorization, publications are shielded from the public network. Rules include: accounts not suggested to phone contacts or Facebook friends; liked publications viewable only by 'Me only'. These join prior restrictions, such as live streams only for over 18s and direct messages disabled for 13-15 year olds. TikTok also expanded research tools for academics and independent researchers linked to non-profits in Brazil, granting access to public data on accounts, videos, and comments from under-18s. 'TikTok supports the scientific community and, with this update, qualified researchers in Brazil join those in the US and Europe in accessing research resources. To date, over a thousand research projects have been granted access to our tools,' the platform stated. The ECA Digital aims to reduce violence, harassment, and exploitation of minors online, requiring companies to identify ages, bolster moderation, and detect risks. The law takes effect on March 17, but the decree with guidelines, scheduled for today, was postponed to March 18 by the government. Implementation will be phased by ANPD. On the same day, Google began using AI to estimate ages from online behavior, applying restrictions on YouTube, such as parental supervision for under-16 channels.
