ByteDance Ltd.’s TikTok faces a stern warning from the European Union, urging an overhaul of its platform design due to concerns about its addictive features. Regulators worry these elements may negatively impact users’ physical and mental health.
In a crucial preliminary assessment on Friday, EU officials indicated that TikTok might be violating the Digital Services Act. The platform’s design encourages endless scrolling, which can lead users into a state where their minds go on autopilot.
According to a statement from the Brussels-based commission, “The commission considers that TikTok needs to change the basic design of its service.” They emphasized the necessity of removing features like “infinite scroll” and introducing effective ‘screen time breaks’, even during nighttime usage. Adjustments to the recommendation system were also highlighted as essential.
Now, TikTok must collaborate with the commission to find viable solutions that address these concerns, or it risks a formal mandate to redesign its services, potentially amounting to fines of up to 6% of its total global annual revenue.
EU tech lead Henna Virkkunen voiced concerns on Friday, stating that “social media addiction can have detrimental effects on the developing minds of children and teens.”
This initiative to mitigate social media’s risks for the youth occurs as European nations contemplate stringent restrictions on platforms due to safety anxieties. Earlier this week, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced legislation to prohibit children from using social media platforms including TikTok and Instagram. At least ten other countries, such as France, the UK, and Portugal, are considering similar measures.
Last year, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed intentions to evaluate restrictions on social media for under-16 users.
TikTok has been under scrutiny recently, facing various enforcement actions under the EU’s DSA, which aims to regulate harmful and illegal online content. Last year, the platform was criticized for not providing independent researchers adequate access to data, which is a requirement of the regulations. Before that, it had received warnings about doing more to eliminate scam advertisements, which it later settled.
