EU Commission: TikTok violates European legislation on account of its “addictive design”. | EUROtoday

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As of: February 6, 2026 12:14 p.m

Endless scrolling, video follows video: According to the EU Commission, the social community TikTok violates the EU legislation on digital companies with its “addictive design”.

What is meant to be a brief distraction usually ends a lot later. The subsequent video is only a fast swipe away on social media platforms like TikTok or Instagram. And corporations have little interest in customers shortly placing their smartphone apart.

The EU Commission has now come to a discovering particularly for TikTok that would have far-reaching penalties. The app has an “addictive design” and due to this fact violates the EU Digital Services Act (DSA). This is because of the truth that infinite scrolling, i.e. swiping, is feasible, in addition to movies that begin mechanically and a extremely personalised advice system. The firm didn’t sufficiently contemplate how such features may have an effect on the bodily and psychological well-being of customers – together with minors and susceptible adults -, the Commission stated.

Brain scrolls Autopilot-Modus

Constantly “rewarding” customers with new content material creates the urge to scroll additional and places the mind in “autopilot mode.” As a really giant platform, TikTok should study what dangers the app poses. This is what the DSA envisages. It is exactly this evaluation of the corporate that the EU Commission strongly criticizes: “TikTok has ignored important indicators of compulsive use of the app, such as the time that minors spend on TikTok at night, the frequency with which users open the app, and other potential indicators.”

This is what it says within the preliminary outcomes that the EU Commission is now saying. It is the subsequent step in an intensive DSA course of that the authority initiated in February 2024. The EU Commission has analyzed TikTok’s personal threat evaluation and examined inside information and paperwork. In addition, she interviewed consultants on the subject of addictive conduct, amongst different issues.

Lawsuit within the USA

How addictive is social media? This is a query that’s at present being examined in courtroom within the USA. The lawsuit was filed by a younger lady whose title seems within the recordsdata solely with the initials KGM. In some media studies she is now 19, in others 20 years previous.

Not way more is understood concerning the lady who took up the combat in opposition to the billion-dollar tech corporations. However, her case, which is being heard in Superior Court in Los Angeles, is below very shut scrutiny. KGM accuses social media platforms of designing their companies in order that customers change into addicted.

She used the platforms as a toddler. This led to melancholy and anxiousness. It might be a mannequin course of with a big effect. The Social Media Victims Law Center, which legally represents the younger lady, says it’s taking good care of a whole bunch of plaintiffs. The Google father or mother firm Alphabet and Meta, the corporate behind YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, are at present having to defend themselves in courtroom. TikTok, then again, reached a settlement earlier than the trial started. Details are usually not public.

EU nations talk about use of Social media presents

The use of social media companies is at present being intensively mentioned within the EU. Spain, for instance, is planning to ban all companies for kids below 16. In her keynote speech on the State of the European Union final yr, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke of “algorithms that exploit children’s weaknesses to make them addicted.”

A doable lever in opposition to that is procedures below the EU legislation for digital companies. TikTok can now react to the preliminary outcomes. The Commission at present believes that the corporate wants to vary the “fundamental design”. As examples, she cites the introduction of efficient breaks, together with in the course of the evening, and the adjustment of the advice system. If the EU Commission finally feels its view has been confirmed, TikTok may face a high quality. This could be as much as six p.c of worldwide annual gross sales.