Popular video app TikTok has been fined 10 million euros (almost $11 million) by Italy’s competition authorities (AGCM) for not doing enough to protect children.

This was announced by the AGCM in a statement on Thursday.

Regulators from all over the world are putting pressure on social media businesses, like Facebook and Instagram parent Meta Platforms, as well as TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company, ByteDance, to safeguard minor users.

Three subsidiaries of China’s Bytedance group—Ireland’s TikTok Technology, UK’s TikTok Information Technologies, and Italy’s TikTok Italy—have been hit with the penalties.

According to the watchdog, TikTok had not followed all of the rules it had posted to ensure users that the app was a “safe” place.

The Italian regulatory body cited footage of adolescents engaging in the “French scar” challenge, which includes pinching cheeks to create a permanent bruise on the cheekbone and is a popular challenge among users.

“The company has failed to implement appropriate mechanisms to monitor content published on the platform, particularly those that may threaten the safety of minors and vulnerable individuals,” the AGCM watchdog said in a statement.

In a response to the antitrust fine, a TikTok representative stated, “We disagree with this decision” and emphasised that the company had “long ago restricted visibility” of French Scar videos for users who were younger than 18.

The short-video app has become extremely popular all around the world, but Western capitals are worried because of its ownership by the Chinese internet company ByteDance and its purported subordination to Beijing’s governing Communist Party.

Wednesday saw the overwhelming approval of a bill by the US House of Representatives that would have required TikTok to separate from its parent business or risk being banned across the country.