Newsletter SOMI - November 25th, 2025
This is the newsletter for November 2025 from the Foundation for Market Information Research to its relations, including the participants in its actions, its sympathizers, media professionals and app users.
Nov Tue 25 2025
SOMI Launches Representative Legal Action in Italy Against TikTok
SOMI has filed a representative legal action in Italy against TikTok Technology Limited (Ireland) and TikTok Italy S.r.l. addressing alleged violations of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Italian Privacy Law the Digital Services Act (DSA), the AI Act and the Italian Consumer Code.
SOMI, officially recognised by the European Commission as a qualified entity under the EU Representative Actions Directive, is acting to protect Italian minors from unlawful exploitation of their personal data for commercial purposes. The case covers minors who have used TikTok in Italy since June 25, 2023, and seeks compensation for damages caused by the platform’s conduct.
TikTok has more than 20 million monthly active users in Italy, with the majority aged between 16 and 24. Despite its popularity among younger audiences, the platform has failed to verify users’ ages or obtain parental consent, allowing even children under 13 to access harmful and inappropriate content. Dangerous viral challenges such as the “French Scar Challenge”, “One Chip Challenge” and “Blackout Challenge” have widely circulated on the platform, which have resulted in serious harm and, in some cases, fatalities. Beyond these incidents, children are routinely exposed to content that promotes self-harm, extreme dieting, and body dysmorphia, as well as to the so-called “Sephora Kids” trend, in which very young users are aggressively targeted with advertisement for beauty and cosmetic products under the disguise of organic content.
In January 2021, the Italian Data Protection Authority (Garante Privacy) ordered TikTok to stop processing data from users whose age could not be verified. Between February and April 2021, TikTok deleted more than 500.000 accounts belonging to children under the age of 13.
Despite these interventions, the platform’s safeguards remain ineffective. In March 2024, the Italian Competition and Market Authority (AGCM) imposed a €10 million fine, the maximum allowed under consumer law, for exposing minors to dangerous content on Tik. Around the same time, the European Commission opened formal proceedings against TikTok over its failure to protect minors and warned that certain platform features could be suspended.
Although TikTok has faced sanctions and made public commitments, it continues to expose young users to harmful content and manipulative advertising. In response, SOMI is pursuing legal measures to protect minors and hold the company accountable. The representative action focuses on the systemic exploitation of minors on the platform, emphasizing how its algorithms and business model prioritize profit over children’s safety.
All affected individuals can soon register free of charge with the Italian Ministry of Justice (Ministero della Giustizia) through the Online Services – Judicial Office portal.
Starting from the date of this publication, SOMI will provide comprehensive guidance to help individuals complete the registration process with the Ministry of Justice. More information can be found on tiktokclaim.it and on SOMI app, available on App Store and Google Play.
A symbolic fee of €7.50 applies for the tutorial, supporting SOMI’s ongoing work advocating for privacy and data protection across Europe.
News
Support us in a claim against Meta in Denmark
SOMI is launching a class-action lawsuit against Meta for exploiting children and young users through addictive features and algorithmic manipulation.
We are holding Meta accountable for:
Addiction by design – platforms engineered to keep children hooked.
Algorithmic manipulation – AI-driven feeds that maximize screen time.
Targeting vulnerable users – exploiting young audiences for profit.
We aim to gather 50,000 supporters in Denmark, with an optional donation of 55 DKK (€7.50), to join our representation and help fund the lawsuit. Our first legal claim against Meta is planned for early 2026.
Court of Schleswig Rejects Meta’s Attempt to Raise Dispute Amount
The Higher Regional Court of Schleswig has rejected Meta’s attempt to increase the dispute amount from €25,000 to €250,000 in SOMI's preliminary injunction case against Meta's AI training. The court also highlighted that Meta could have obtained users’ consent for AI training but chose not to, leaving them responsible for handling sensitive data under article 9 GDPR and third-party data. This reinforces the court’s earlier ruling on August 12th, which flagged Meta’s AI training practices as potentially violating GDPR.