The European Commission has preliminarily found TikTok's design addictive, violating EU digital laws and potentially leading to a fine of up to 6% of ByteDance's global revenue. The probe highlights risks to users' physical and mental well-being, particularly minors and vulnerable adults.
The European Commission announced preliminary findings on Friday from its investigation into TikTok, stating that the app's 'addictive design' violates the EU's Digital Services Act. Features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, and 'highly personalised' recommender systems were identified as having addictive properties.
The EU executive said TikTok did not 'adequately assess how these addictive features could harm the physical and mental well-being of its users, including minors and vulnerable adults.' By 'constantly rewarding the users with new content,' TikTok 'fuels the urge to keep scrolling and shifts the brain of users into 'autopilot mode',' the commission noted, citing scientific research linking this to compulsive behaviour and loss of self-control among users.
This could result in a fine of up to 6% of ByteDance's global revenue. The probe criticizes TikTok's safeguards as ineffective, focusing on its personalised systems. The EU aims to protect users from potential harms posed by digital platforms.
