EU says TikTok's 'addictive design' harms children

"TikTok's "addictive design" is in breach ofEuropean Union law, according to preliminary findings published by the European Commission on Friday. It said addictive features included infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications and TikTok's own "highly personalized" content recommendation system. The European Commission also alleged TikTok failed in adeqatly assessing "how these addictive features could harm the harm the physical and mental wellbeing of its users, including minors and vulnerable adults.""

"According to the commission, the constant flow of content puts "the brain of users into 'autopilot mode'," potentially resulting in compulsive beahvior and reduce users' self-control. To adhere with the EU's laws, the video-based platform would need to "change the basic design of its service" through "disabling key addictive features implementing effective 'screen time breaks', including during the night, and adapting its recommender system.""

Preliminary findings from the European Commission conclude TikTok's design breaches EU law by using addictive features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications and a highly personalized recommendation system. The Commission found TikTok inadequately assessed how these features could harm the physical and mental wellbeing of users, including minors and vulnerable adults. The constant content flow can put users' brains into an 'autopilot mode', potentially causing compulsive behavior and reduced self-control. Required changes include altering the platform's basic design, disabling key addictive features, implementing effective screen-time breaks including at night, and adapting the recommender system. TikTok denies the findings and plans to challenge them; confirmation could trigger fines up to six percent of ByteDance's global annual turnover.

Read at www.dw.com