EU says TikTok uses 'addictive design' and must change

""Today, the European Commission preliminarily found TikTok in breach of the Digital Services Act for its addictive design," the EU's regulator said in a press release. "This includes features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, and its highly personalized recommender system." It said that TikTok failed to put up safeguards to ensure that those "addictive" features don't "harm the physical and mental wellbeing of users," including minors."

""For example, by constantly 'rewarding' users with new content, certain design features of TikTok fuel the urge to keep scrolling and shift the brain of users into 'autopilot mode'. Scientific research shows that this may lead to compulsive behaviour and reduce users' self-control," the regulators stated. TikTok's current parental controls and features to limit screen time are insufficient, the Commission added, and TikTok may need to modify them."

"The platform may also be required to limit its infinite scroll and adjust its recommendation algorithms. The EU Commission will give TikTok an opportunity to rebut the findings and the company said would use "any means available" to challenge them. "The commission's preliminary findings present a categorically false and entirely meritless depiction of our platform," the company told The New York Times in a statement."

The European Commission preliminarily found TikTok in breach of the Digital Services Act for addictive design features including infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, and a highly personalized recommender system. Regulators said those features can "reward" users with constant new content, fuel compulsive scrolling, shift users into "autopilot mode," and reduce self-control, creating risks for physical and mental wellbeing, including for minors. The Commission judged current parental controls and screen-time limits insufficient and may require TikTok to modify features and recommendation algorithms. TikTok will be allowed to rebut the findings and has said it will challenge them; prior EU probes flagged data-sharing and advertising transparency issues.

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