📋 Tender Overview
Today, The European Commission Preliminarily Found Tiktok In Breach Of The Digital Services Act For Its Addictive Design. This Includes Features Such As Infinite Scroll, Autoplay, Push Notifications, And Its Highly Personalised Recommender System. Risk Assessment The CommissionS Investigation Preliminarily Indicates That Tiktok Did Not Adequately Assess How These Addictive Features Could Harm The Physical And Mental Wellbeing Of Its Users, Including Minors And Vulnerable Adults. 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. Additionally, In Its Assessment, Tiktok Disregarded Important Indicators Of Compulsive Use Of The App, Such As The Time That Minors Spend On Tiktok At Night, The Frequency With Which Users Open The App, And Other Potential Indicators. Risk Mitigation Measures Tiktok Seems To Fail To Implement Reasonable, Proportionate And Effective Measures To Mitigate Risks Stemming From Its Addictive Design. For Example, The Current Measures On Tiktok, Particularly The Screentime Management Tools And Parental Control Tools, Do Not Seem To Effectively Reduce The Risks Stemming From TiktokS Addictive Design. The Time Management Tools Do Not Seem To Be Effective In Enabling Users To Reduce And Control Their Use Of Tiktok Because They Are Easy To Dismiss And Introduce Limited Friction. Similarly, Parental Controls May Not Be Effective Because They Require Additional Time And Skills From Parents To Introduce The Controls. At This Stage, The Commission Considers That Tiktok Needs To Change The Basic Design Of Its Service. For Instance, By Disabling Key Addictive Features Such As Infinite Scroll Over Time, Implementing Effective Screen Time Breaks, Including During The Night, And Adapting Its Recommender System. These Preliminary Findings Do Not Prejudge The Outcome Of The Investigation. The CommissionS Preliminary Views Are Based On An In-Depth Investigation That Included An Analysis Of TiktokS Risk Assessments Reports, Internal Data And Documents And TiktokS Responses To Multiple Requests For Information, A Review Of The Extensive Scientific Research On This Topic, And Interviews With Experts In Multiple Fields, Including Behavioural Addiction. Next Steps Tiktok Now Has The Possibility To Exercise Its Right To Defence. It May Examine The Documents In The CommissionS Investigation Files And Reply In Writing To The CommissionS Preliminary Findings. In Parallel, The European Board For Digital Services Will Be Consulted. If The CommissionS Views Are Ultimately Confirmed, The Commission May Issue A Non-Compliance Decision, Which Can Trigger A Fine Proportionate To The Nature, Gravity, Recurrence And Duration Of The Infringement And Reach Up To But Not More Than 6% Of The Total Worldwide Annual Turnover Of The Provider. Background The CommissionS Preliminary Findings Today Are Part Of Its Formal Proceedings To Investigate Tiktok S Compliance With The Digital Services Act, Launched On 19 February 2024. As Well As Addictive Design, This Investigation Covers The Rabbit Hole Effect Of TiktokS Recommender Systems, The Risk Of Minors Having An Age-Inappropriate Experience Due To A Misrepresentation Of Their Age, The Platforms Obligations To Ensure A High Level Of Privacy, Safety And Security For Minors. The Investigation Also Included Access To Public Data For Researchers, For Which Preliminary Findings Were Adopted In October 2025, And Advertising Transparency, Which Was Closed Through Binding Commitments In December 2025. Quote(S) Social Media Addiction Can Have Detrimental Effects On The Developing Minds Of Children And Teens. The Digital Services Act Makes Platforms Responsible For The Effects They Can Have On Their Users. In Europe, We Enforce Our Legislation To Protect Our Children And Our Citizens Online. Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President For Tech Sovereignty, Security And Democracy Related Topics Digital Economy And Society Technology Print Friendly Pdf Commission Preliminarily Finds TiktokS Addictive Design In Breach Of The Digital Services Act English (42.51 Kb - Pdf) Download Contacts For Media Thomas Regnier Spokesperson Phone +32 2 29 91099 Mail Thomas.Regnier@Ec.Europa.Eu Patricia Poropat Press Officer Phone +32 2 29 80485 Mail Patricia.Poropat@Ec.Europa.Eu If You Do Not Work For A Media Organisation, You Are Welcome To Contact The Eu Through Europe Direct In Writing Or By Calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11. Ip/26/312 Share This Page: X Facebook Linkedin E-Mail
