The European Commission issued a preliminary finding that TikTok’s design may violate the Digital Services Act by encouraging compulsive use and failing to adequately protect minors and vulnerable adults. TikTok disputed the assessment and can formally challenge it before regulators reach a final decision.
The commission focused on a group of features that keep content arriving with little interruption: infinite scrolling, autoplay, push notifications and a highly personalized recommendation system. Officials argued that the system prioritized time spent on the app without sufficiently accounting for negative experiences, particularly among teenage users.
Regulators said the design could weaken self-control by continually rewarding users with new material. They also accused TikTok of overlooking warning signs, including how often people reopen the app and how much time minors spend on it at night. Existing screen-time and parental-control tools were described as too easy to dismiss and therefore ineffective at creating meaningful friction.
The investigation began in February 2024 and also examines the “rabbit hole” effect, in which recommendations draw users deeper into a narrow stream of material, and the risk that children who misstate their age can encounter inappropriate content. The commission suggested gradually disabling infinite scroll and introducing effective breaks and overnight lockouts.
The findings are not a final ruling. They were based on TikTok’s risk reports and internal data, its responses to information requests, scientific research and interviews with specialists including behavioral-addiction experts. TikTok can inspect the commission’s file and respond in writing. If the conclusions are upheld, the company could face a fine of as much as 6 percent of global annual turnover.
Officials cited studies from several European countries. A French parliamentary report found that 8 percent of children aged 12 to 15 spent more than five hours on TikTok. A Danish study described users as young as eight averaging more than two hours daily, while Polish research identified TikTok as the platform most used after midnight by people aged 13 to 18.
TikTok called the commission’s depiction categorically false and without merit. The company pointed to daily time limits, sleep reminders, silent notifications, meditation prompts, screen-time dashboards and rewards for staying off the app at night. It also argued that research has not established a scientific consensus that screen time directly harms children’s mental health.
The commission acknowledged that TikTok had cooperated and offered ideas during the inquiry. Officials also rejected claims that the case amounted to censorship, saying the DSA addresses systemic risk and due diligence rather than deciding what users may say.
The dispute now moves from a preliminary technical assessment to an adversarial regulatory process. The unresolved question is whether TikTok’s safety tools meaningfully counteract engagement features or merely sit alongside a system still optimized to keep users scrolling.
