The European Commission has published preliminary findings in the TikTok case and stated that certain mechanics of the application encourage compulsive use and may harm physical and mental health, especially of children and vulnerable users.
The European Commission has published preliminary findings in the TikTok case and stated that certain mechanics of the application encourage compulsive use and may harm physical and mental health, especially of children and vulnerable users.
This is reported by The New York Times. Brussels believes that the endless feed, autoplay, push notifications and personalized recommendation algorithm form an «addictive design» and may violate the Digital Services Act (DSA). The regulator emphasizes that the service «rewards» the user with new videos, encouraging them to stay in the application, and should better assess and reduce health risks.
The European Commission also cites signs of compulsive use that TikTok may see in its own data, including nighttime activity by minors and frequency of app openings. Among the changes expected from the platform are restrictions on infinite scrolling, more effective time limits and adjustments to the recommendation system.
TikTok said it would appeal the findings. The decision is not yet final: the company will have the opportunity to respond to the claims, and the Commission did not specify the timing of the final verdict. If the DSA violation is confirmed, the fine could reach 6% of global turnover.
The EU has been investigating TikTok since 2024, in particular due to the «rabbit hole effect» in recommendations for young people. The idea of holding platforms accountable not only for content but also for engagement mechanics is gaining momentum around the world, so Brussels’ decision could become a benchmark for other regulators.
Previously, dev.ua wrote about how the European Commission had previously found that Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok were not giving researchers sufficient access to data and were making complaint and appeal tools too confusing for users.
