Brazil’s data protection authority has imposed a fine of nearly $30 million on TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, for the alleged mishandling of personal data belonging to children and teenagers.

This action marks the latest regulatory move by Brazil against major social media platforms, intensifying a crackdown on tech giants operating within the country.

The regulatory body stated that TikTok violated data privacy laws by collecting and processing the personal information of young users without a valid legal basis or sufficient safeguards. These breaches reportedly occurred across both logged-in accounts and guest browsing sessions.

Authorities estimate that TikTok may have processed the data of at least 8 million children. The ruling also mandates that TikTok erase all illegally amassed data and develop a comprehensive youth-protection framework. The regulator highlighted that TikTok's "logged-out feed," which allows users to browse content without an account, enables minors to access the platform widely, bypassing age-verification checks.

This feature, available in Brazil, is reportedly not offered in the United States or Europe, where access is restricted to registered users. The company has 10 days to appeal the decision.

This fine follows a recent order by the same regulator directing Discord to suspend its livestreaming feature nationwide. This measure was taken after a 13-year-old girl died by suicide, allegedly following encouragement during a livestream.

Brazil’s government, under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has been actively seeking to regulate internet use among minors. These efforts come as other nations, including Australia, Canada, and Indonesia, are also undertaking similar initiatives to enhance online safety for young people.

The ruling raises questions about the effectiveness of age-verification mechanisms on global social media platforms and the responsibility of companies in protecting vulnerable users, particularly in features designed for anonymous browsing.