The European Commission has preliminarily found TikTok in breach of the Digital Services Act for its addictive design features, marking a significant regulatory escalation against the video-sharing platform’s practices.

Addictive Design Features Under Scrutiny

In its preliminary findings, the Commission identified several design elements that encourage compulsive user behavior. Infinite scroll—which continuously feeds new content each time users refresh their screen—was cited as a primary concern, along with autoplay functionality and notifications that place users’ brains on “autopilot.”

“Social media addiction can have detrimental effects on the developing minds of children and teens,” said Henna Virkkunen, European Commission executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy.

Ineffective Safeguards

The Commission took particular issue with TikTok’s existing safety mechanisms. The platform’s Daily Screen Time feature automatically sets a one-hour limit for users aged 13 to 17, but the Commission found these warnings “easy to dismiss.” Similarly, parental control tools like Family Pairing “require additional time and skills from parents to introduce the controls,” making them ineffective for most households.

Mounting Pressure on Social Media Platforms

The investigation, launched in 2024, reflects mounting pressure on social media platforms over screen time, particularly for children and teenagers. Regulators worldwide are increasingly questioning whether tech companies adequately protect young users from addictive design features.

TikTok’s Response and Required Changes

TikTok rejected the findings, calling them “categorically false and entirely meritless” and pledging to “challenge these findings through every means available.” The company argued that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to screen time regulation and highlighted existing tools including sleep hours prompts, well-being missions, and reward badges.

To comply with the Digital Services Act, the Commission concluded that TikTok must “change the basic design of its service,” including disabling infinite scroll, implementing more effective screen time breaks, and modifying video recommendation algorithms.

What’s Next

These are preliminary findings, meaning no fines or penalties have been imposed yet. TikTok now has the right to review the Commission’s findings and respond in writing with its own solutions. The investigation will also involve consultation with the European Board for Digital Services.

A final non-compliance decision could result in fines of up to 6 percent of TikTok’s global annual turnover—a potentially severe financial penalty that could substantially impact the platform’s operations in Europe.

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