The European Commission announced today that it has provisionally concluded that TikTok is in breach of the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA) due to the addictive design of its platform.
“Notably at issue are features such as infinite scrolling, autoplay, push notifications, as well as its highly personalized recommendation system,” the European Commission said.
The Commission’s preliminary inquiry indicates that TikTok has not sufficiently assessed the potentially harmful effects of these addictive mechanisms on the physical and mental health of its users, including minors and vulnerable adults.
According to the European Commission, TikTok appears not to have implemented reasonable, proportionate, and effective measures to mitigate the risks arising from the addictive design of its platform.
The Commission believes that TikTok must modify the fundamental design of its service.
“This could, in particular, involve progressively disabling key features that foster addiction, such as the ‘infinite scrolling’, the implementation of effective screen-time breaks, including during the night, and the adjustment of its recommendation system,” adds the European Commission.
