The European Commission has found that TikTok’s design features, including infinite scroll, encourage compulsive use and fail to adequately protect users, particularly children and teenagers.
This is according to preliminary findings released by the Commission on Friday as part of its ongoing investigation under the EU’s Digital Services Act.
They ordered the company to change how its app works or face a potential fine of up to 6% of its owner ByteDance’s global turnover.
The findings come amid growing global scrutiny of social media platforms over excessive screen time and the impact of addictive design on young users.
What the Commission said
According to the European Commission, TikTok relies heavily on addictive design features such as infinite scroll, which continuously feeds users new content and places their brains on what regulators described as “autopilot.”
The Commission said these features encourage compulsive behaviour, including repeatedly opening the app and scrolling for extended periods, and expose users to risks the platform has not sufficiently mitigated.
- “Social media addiction can have detrimental effects on the developing minds of children and teens,” said Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission’s executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy.
She added that the Digital Services Act makes platforms responsible for the effects they can have on users, stressing that the EU is enforcing its laws to protect children and citizens online.
Backstory
The investigation into TikTok was launched in 2024 to assess whether the platform complies with the Digital Services Act, which sets obligations for large online platforms to manage systemic risks, protect users and ensure transparency.
- As part of the probe, regulators examined TikTok’s internal risk assessments, company data and scientific research related to behavioural addiction.
- The Commission said the findings reflect mounting concern among regulators worldwide about whether social media companies are doing enough to limit addictive design, especially for minors.
The Commission previously flagged TikTok and Meta in October for making it difficult for researchers to access public platform data, another potential breach of the DSA.
More insights
Regulators raised concerns about TikTok’s Daily Screen Time feature, which allows users to set usage limits and receive alerts when they are reached. While a one-hour daily limit is automatically applied to users aged 13 to 17, the Commission said the warnings are ineffective because they are easy to dismiss.
- The Commission also criticised TikTok’s parental control system, known as Family Pairing, which allows parents to manage screen time, receive activity reports and restrict certain content. Regulators said these controls are not sufficiently effective because they require additional time and technical effort from parents to set up and manage.
- Based on its assessment, the Commission concluded that TikTok would need to change the basic design of its service to comply with the DSA. Proposed changes include disabling infinite scroll, introducing more effective screen-time breaks and adjusting how videos are recommended to users.
TikTok rejected the Commission’s preliminary findings, describing them as “categorically false and entirely meritless.” The company said it would challenge the findings through all available means. TikTok argued that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to regulating screen time and said it provides multiple tools to help users manage their usage.
What you should know
Meta’s platforms have been among the most heavily fined in Europe for data protection violations. A report showed Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and others have paid billions of euros in fines under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation for mishandling user data, including issues related to children’s privacy.
Twitter’s successor platform X and other social media companies have also drawn EU regulatory scrutiny, including allegations of failing to provide adequate access to public data for researchers under EU transparency rules, similar to concerns raised against TikTok.
The European Union has extended its tech oversight beyond TikTok, designating services like WhatsApp as Very Large Online Platforms under the Digital Services Act, which triggers stronger requirements to manage risks, illegal content and user protections.
