TikTok designed to be addictive, EU regulators warn

(Sharecast News) - European Union regulators have warned TikTok that core features of its app may breach the bloc's Digital Services Act, marking one of the most advanced enforcement actions yet under the landmark online safety law.

In preliminary findings released on Friday, the European Commission said the video-sharing platform had failed to properly assess and mitigate the risks posed by design choices that encourage compulsive use, particularly among children and other vulnerable users.

The Commission said TikTok's use of features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications and a highly personalised recommender system "fuels the urge to keep scrolling" and can shift users' brains into an "autopilot mode".

Regulators concluded that the company had not taken sufficient steps to understand or limit the potential harm to users' physical and mental wellbeing, citing indicators of compulsive behaviour such as extended nighttime use by children.

As part of the preliminary ruling, Brussels said TikTok may need to change the basic design of its service in Europe.

Measures under consideration included disabling or limiting infinite scroll, introducing more effective screen-time breaks, including at night, and adapting the app's recommendation algorithms.

The Commission also criticised TikTok's existing safeguards, saying screen-time warnings were too easy to dismiss and parental control tools were overly complex and time-consuming to set up.

If the provisional conclusions are upheld, TikTok could face a fine of up to 6% of its global annual turnover and be ordered to redesign parts of its platform.

TikTok would have the opportunity to review the evidence and respond with its own arguments or proposed remedies.

The social video platform, owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, reportedly rejected the Commission's assessment, saying the preliminary findings presented a "categorically false and entirely meritless depiction" of the platform and that it would challenge the conclusions through all available legal means.

It argued there was no single expert consensus on screen-time regulation and said it already offered a range of wellbeing tools, including usage limits and sleep prompts.

The move came amid growing political pressure across Europe to curb the impact of social media on young people.

Several countries, including Spain, France and the UK, were considering or developing restrictions on teenage access to social platforms, following Australia's decision to ban under-16s from holding accounts on certain apps.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.