The European Commission found that the app’s recommendation feed pulls users into harmful rabbit holes around body image and anxiety.
The European Commission charged TikTok on Friday with failing to protect users from algorithm-driven mental health risks, issuing a preliminary finding that the app pushes people down destructive rabbit holes The Guardian reported. The European Union’s executive body found that the video platform’s recommendation system serves a relentless stream of content on themes like isolation, sadness and body image, which can worsen eating disorders and anxiety among young and vulnerable people.
According to Engadget, the findings focus on the app’s For You page, where the recommendation system uses interaction history to suggest increasingly tailored clips. Regulators said TikTok didn’t do enough to assess how the algorithm could draw users into these loops, nor did it put sufficient measures in place to mitigate those risks. The investigation focused on legal material rather than unlawful posts, finding that while an individual video might not be problematic on its own, watching scores of them on one theme can damage mental health.
Commission investigators found that TikTok’s existing safety tools fail to stop repetitive exposure. When a user checked the ‘not interested’ button on a clip about eating patterns, the algorithm still served them similar content on diet and body image. Refreshing a feed provided only a temporary break before the stream returned to the same topic.
Why the EU says the algorithm causes harm
“Every time a user scrolls or likes a video on TikTok, the algorithm serves more of the same leading users down rabbit holes they cannot easily escape from,” Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission’s lead official on tech policy, said. Virkkunen added that the company must increase its efforts to protect the wellbeing of users, including minors.
European officials said the case directly targets TikTok’s business model, which is built on keeping people scrolling as long as possible. One commission official told reporters that a business model focused mainly on user engagement can create serious risks, particularly for minors and vulnerable adults. TikTok, which is owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, has 189 million users across the European Union.
Changes demanded by regulators
EU regulators said TikTok must alter the design of its For You feed to give users more control over what they watch. The Commission wants the platform to rely more on users’ explicit choices rather than viewing time when recommending content. Officials also instructed the company to improve the usability and accessibility of its user controls and to test its algorithm on a regular basis.
TikTok rejected the preliminary findings. “The Commission has made a series of statements that are fundamentally inaccurate and distort our platform’s architecture and our commitment to user safety,” the company said in a statement to Reuters. TikTok added that it has a strong record of protecting its community while providing people with intuitive controls over their content experience.
Earlier investigations under the Digital Services Act
The preliminary ruling is part of an investigation opened in February 2024 under the Digital Services Act, an EU law requiring major online platforms to prevent harms ranging from disinformation to mental health risks.
The Commission has cited TikTok under the law before. In February, EU officials determined that the app breached rules because of addictive design features like infinite scroll. TikTok challenged those findings at the time, calling them categorically false and entirely meritless. In July, officials said the platform failed to protect the privacy of accounts held by minors. A separate inquiry into transparency around paid advertising was settled last December after TikTok agreed to binding policy changes.
Scrutiny of social media companies has increased beyond Europe as well. This week, TikTok, Meta and Google sued California over a state law prohibiting platforms from allowing users under 16 to access potentially addictive features.
What happens next
TikTok now has an opportunity to inspect the European Commission’s investigation files and prepare a defense. The company can also choose to alter its recommendation algorithm to address the regulator’s concerns.
If EU officials uphold the preliminary findings and decide the platform hasn’t resolved the issues, ByteDance could face a fine of up to 6% of its global annual revenue.
