EU says TikTok must disable ‘addictive’ features like infinite scrolling, fix its recommendation engine | TechCrunch

The European Commission on Friday accused TikTok of deliberately designing its app to be “addictive”, invoking features such as infinite scrolling, auto-play and push notifications, as well as its recommendation engine.

In preliminary findings from an investigation that sought to determine TikTok’s compliance with the European Union’s far-reaching digital services law, the Commission said the short video platform “did not adequately assess” how its design decisions could harm the well-being of its users, particularly minors and vulnerable adults.

The EU executive said the company did not take into account “important indicators of compulsive use of the app”, such as the time users spend at night and how often users open the app.

“By constantly ‘rewarding’ users with new content, certain design elements of TikTok encourage the urge to keep scrolling and put users’ brains into ‘autopilot mode.’ Scientific research shows that this can lead to compulsive behavior and reduce users’ self-control,” the commission wrote in a statement.

The commission said TikTok must change the “basic design” of its user interface by disabling features such as infinite scrolling, implementing screen breaks and changing the recommendation system.

TikTok has denied the allegations.

“The Commission’s preliminary findings represent a categorically false and completely unwarranted portrayal of our platform, and we will take all steps necessary to challenge these findings by all means at our disposal,” a TikTok spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

While TikTok offers tools to manage screen time and parental controls, the European Commission has said these tools do not sufficiently reduce the risks of its addictive design. “Time management tools do not appear to be effective in allowing users to limit and control their use of TikTok because they are easy to reject and introduce limited friction. Similarly, parental controls may not be effective because they require additional time and skill from parents to implement controls,” the Commission wrote.

The accusations against TikTok come as social media platforms around the world deal with increased scrutiny, with some governments pushing to completely ban young users from social media. In November, Australia ordered social media sites to disable accounts belonging to users under 16, and the UK and Spain are said to be considering similar measures. France, Denmark, Italy and Norway have worked on similar age-restriction measures for social media platforms, and in the United States, 24 states have so far passed age-verification laws.

TikTok recently settled a major social media addiction lawsuit in the US and now has time to respond to the European Commission’s preliminary findings. Confirmed DSA violations can face a range of major penalties, including fines of up to 6% of global annual turnover.

This story has been updated to add TikTok’s response.