EU Charges China's TikTok with Violating Digital Content Rules with Addictive Design Features

The European Commission filed formal charges against TikTok on Friday, accusing the social media platform of breaching EU online content regulations through addictive design features and demanding changes to its app or facing potential fines up to six percent of parent company ByteDance’s global revenue.

Reuters reports that the charges announced by the EU’s regulatory watchdog center on TikTok’s addictive design elements, including infinite scroll functionality, autoplay features, push notifications, and its sophisticated algorithm. The investigation, conducted under the Digital Services Act, represents the latest move in the EU’s intensified scrutiny of major technology companies.

TikTok’s algorithm, widely considered to be a Chinese psychological weapon, faces particular scrutiny from EU regulators. The company strongly rejected the European Commission’s accusations in a statement.

“The Commission’s preliminary findings present a categorically false and entirely meritless depiction of our platform, and we will take whatever steps are necessary to challenge these findings,” a TikTok spokesperson said.

The European Commission, serving as the EU’s technology enforcement body, pointed to specific concerns about how the platform continuously generates new content to reward users, which regulators argue encourages prolonged scrolling and places users’ attention into what they describe as autopilot mode. The year-long investigation under the Digital Services Act, which mandates that large online platforms take stronger action against illegal and harmful content, provided the basis for these charges.

EU regulators stated that TikTok failed to adequately evaluate how these features could impact the physical and mental wellbeing of users, particularly children and vulnerable adults. The Commission accused the platform of overlooking significant indicators of compulsive app usage, such as the amount of time minors spend on the application during nighttime hours and how frequently users open the app throughout the day.

According to the EU watchdog, TikTok appears to have failed in implementing reasonable, proportionate, and effective protective measures, including screen time management tools and parental control features, to reduce these risks. The Commission emphasized that fundamental design changes are necessary.

EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen addressed reporters about the expected response from TikTok. “So now we are expecting after that … TikTok has to take actions and they have to change the design of their service in Europe to protect our minors,” Virkkunen told reporters.

The European Commission proposed several specific modifications, including disabling the infinite scroll feature over time, implementing effective screen time breaks including during nighttime hours, and adjusting the recommendation system. Virkkunen indicated that investigations into other online platforms were progressing and that decisions regarding those platforms would be announced in coming weeks and months, though she declined to identify specific companies.

Last month, TikTok settled a social media addiction lawsuit before trial proceedings against Meta and YouTube. The platform previously resolved charges related to violating a DSA requirement regarding the publication of an advertisement repository that would allow researchers and users to identify fraudulent advertisements.