Red Cross warns TikTok over misleading marketing

In my opinion, this is not a security measure. It’s just a red button that appears after 60 minutes of TikTok viewing. You can simply tap it, and you’re right back where you were scrolling, says Malte Siglev, a digital well-being advisor at Red Barnet.

Also read: Minister has had enough of TikTok: 'Definitely inappropriate, if I’m being completely honest' (https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/politik/minister-har-faaet-nok-af-tiktok-decideret-ulaekkert-hvis-jeg-skal-vaere-helt-aerlig)

He encountered the ad himself while browsing online and decided to check how much "security" was actually in TikTok’s safety settings.

He calls the advertising campaign a "sneaky move" that ensures parental approval.

"The ads can make parents think TikTok isn’t as bad as they might believe," says Malte Siglev.

DR Nyheder asked TikTok for a comment on the fact that the company is now being reviewed by the Consumer Ombudsman.

The response from the tech giant is that they will address the complaint once they have officially received it. However, they note that the time limit can also be locked with a passcode. This feature was not automatically enabled when Red Barnet tested the time restriction.

TikTok sent the following image to DR Nyheder, showing the message users receive if they have enabled the passcode feature. For it to work as an actual lock, the passcode naturally needs to be set by someone else, as users can freely continue after entering the code.

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**"Stretch yourself out"**

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This was not the case when DR Nyheder verified Red Barnet’s attempt and created a TikTok profile from 2012. Here, we scrolled freely within the preset time limit and were then met with the following message:

*"Stretch yourself out. You’ve reached your daily limit."* However, we could freely tap *"Return now,"* and continue scrolling.

This screen appeared after DR Nyheder’s teenage profile exceeded the time restriction.

"It gives a false sense of security when TikTok markets itself as a safe platform," says Red Barnet’s digital well-being advisor, Malte Siglev.

Do you really think there are more parents who will allow their children to have TikTok just because they see this ad?

"We fear that. These ads ran on *Politiken*, LinkedIn, and *Reshopper*—places where parents frequent," he says.

Also read: Children’s Rights Denmark asked TikTok to intervene over videos with severe injuries and guides on self-harm: Now they’re taking action (https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/boerns-vilkaar-bad-tiktok-gribe-ind-over-videoer-med-store-saar-og-guides-til)

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**Professor: Of course it should be true?**

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DR Nyheder also presented the case to Professor Jan Trzaskowski, an expert in marketing law. He emphasizes that it is ultimately the courts that determine whether the marketing law has been violated.

However, he states that what a company claims in an advertisement must, of course, be true.

"If it’s actually easy to bypass, then there isn’t necessarily much substance to the safety settings," he says.

He also raises another issue that Red Barnet has not asked the Consumer Ombudsman to address.

"Finally, one could argue that the overall message may give the average consumer the impression that the platform is a safe place for teenagers. In this context, one could discuss whether there are misleading omissions—for example, when not explaining how the technology is actually designed to be addictive." (https://www.euronews.com/next/2026/02/06/tiktoks-addictive-design-breaches-eu-law-commission-says)

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