Focus on the BIG picture.
Saturday, Sep 13, 2025
Outside the box.
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
TikTok’s user base in Europe reaches over 200 million monthly users; ByteDance unveils employee share buyback valuing the company at more than $330 billion amid regulatory pressures
TikTok has now surpassed 200 million monthly active users in Europe, equivalent to roughly one in every three citizens across the continent, up from 175 million this time last year.
This growth is especially strong among teenagers across 32 European countries.
Parent company ByteDance is set to initiate a new employee share buyback programme that values the company at more than $330 billion, a 5.5 percent increase from its previous valuation of about $315 billion six months earlier.
The buyback will offer employees $200.41 per share, up from roughly $189.90 in the prior share-repurchase offer.
ByteDance’s rising valuation comes amid a strong revenue performance: in the second quarter of 2025, its revenue grew about 25 percent year-on-year, reaching roughly $48 billion — exceeding comparable figures reported by Meta for the same period.
Most of the revenue continues to be derived from the Chinese market.
Meanwhile, TikTok continues to face intensive regulatory scrutiny in Europe.
The platform has been under investigation for its handling of youth privacy, content moderation, and data transfers to China under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation and Digital Services Act.
Earlier this year, TikTok was fined approximately €530 million (about six hundred million U.S. dollars) by its lead EU privacy regulator for violating GDPR rules on data transfers, and new inquiries are underway.
This growth is especially strong among teenagers across 32 European countries.
Parent company ByteDance is set to initiate a new employee share buyback programme that values the company at more than $330 billion, a 5.5 percent increase from its previous valuation of about $315 billion six months earlier.
The buyback will offer employees $200.41 per share, up from roughly $189.90 in the prior share-repurchase offer.
ByteDance’s rising valuation comes amid a strong revenue performance: in the second quarter of 2025, its revenue grew about 25 percent year-on-year, reaching roughly $48 billion — exceeding comparable figures reported by Meta for the same period.
Most of the revenue continues to be derived from the Chinese market.
Meanwhile, TikTok continues to face intensive regulatory scrutiny in Europe.
The platform has been under investigation for its handling of youth privacy, content moderation, and data transfers to China under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation and Digital Services Act.
Earlier this year, TikTok was fined approximately €530 million (about six hundred million U.S. dollars) by its lead EU privacy regulator for violating GDPR rules on data transfers, and new inquiries are underway.
