EU Slams TikTok for 'Addictive' Design, Demands Changes
In a move aimed at protecting minors from compulsive social media use, European Union authorities have accused video-sharing platform TikTok of breaching online content regulations. The commission has warned the company to overhaul its "addictive" design features that allegedly encourage excessive app usage among young users.
According to the EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen, these features - including infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, and personalized recommendation algorithms - contribute significantly to addiction. This addiction poses serious risks to minors' mental health and wellbeing.
"The measures that TikTok has in place are simply not enough," Thomas Regnier, a European Commission spokesperson, stated. "These features lead to the compulsive use of the app, especially for our kids, and this poses major risks to their mental health and wellbeing."
In response to these findings, the EU regulator threatened TikTok with a potential fine as high as 6 percent of its global turnover, which is owned by ByteDance. The investigation was first opened in February 2024 after citing alarming statistics compiled during the probe.
TikTok vehemently disputed the commission's preliminary findings, calling them "categorically false and entirely meritless." In response to these criticisms, TikTok pledged to challenge the EU's conclusions and take necessary steps to change its design to protect minors.
In a move aimed at protecting minors from compulsive social media use, European Union authorities have accused video-sharing platform TikTok of breaching online content regulations. The commission has warned the company to overhaul its "addictive" design features that allegedly encourage excessive app usage among young users.
According to the EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen, these features - including infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, and personalized recommendation algorithms - contribute significantly to addiction. This addiction poses serious risks to minors' mental health and wellbeing.
"The measures that TikTok has in place are simply not enough," Thomas Regnier, a European Commission spokesperson, stated. "These features lead to the compulsive use of the app, especially for our kids, and this poses major risks to their mental health and wellbeing."
In response to these findings, the EU regulator threatened TikTok with a potential fine as high as 6 percent of its global turnover, which is owned by ByteDance. The investigation was first opened in February 2024 after citing alarming statistics compiled during the probe.
TikTok vehemently disputed the commission's preliminary findings, calling them "categorically false and entirely meritless." In response to these criticisms, TikTok pledged to challenge the EU's conclusions and take necessary steps to change its design to protect minors.
like whats wrong with a lil infinite scroll? it's not like they're tryin to ruin ur life or sumthin 
but for real tho, its kinda sus that tiktok is gettin dragged over this. didnt they just overhaul their algorithm like 2 yrs ago? 
anyway, i think the eu should chill a bit and focus on somethin else 
btw, dont even get me started on how much time i waste on tiktok 
As a parent myself, I'd want to make sure my little ones are safe from that kind of thing. Maybe TikTok just needs to dial back the features a notch and prioritize user safety? 
like how can a 10 yr old not put down their phone? it's literally impossible lol 
(I have 2 of them btw). but idk maybe it's just bc they're not making those other apps as "engaging" 
like tiktok knows how to get u hooked and now they gotta change their game 
. I'm kinda glad the eu is on top of this tho, we should def protect our kids from themselves 
. btw has anyone tried to delete tiktok on their phone? it's super hard rn 
. i'm curious to see how this plays out - will tiktok make some changes or just pretend everything is ok 
?
And now the EU is all like "oh no, our kids might get addicted"? It's a bit late for that, don't you think? 
The EU's always so quick to jump on the bandwagon and start regulating everything. Like they're not making a living off of this already... 6% fine sounds like a pretty small price to pay if it means keeping our kids safe from themselves 
. I mean, they're just trying to keep up with the algorithm game and make their app more engaging. The EU is being kinda harsh, if you ask me 
. It's all about balance, you know? TikTok can't just change overnight, but at the same time, they need to make some adjustments to keep up with the EU's new rules 
It's all about context, right? 
. i mean, the eu just wants to protect our youngins from mental health issues and all that, but does it have to be so strict? 
"categorically false and entirely meritless" though? i don't know about that 
like, tiktok can make some changes and the eu can have some faith in them. 
. We need to make sure our teens are safe online and not getting sucked into these addictive loops 
... But on the other hand, if TikTok is making us add up hours of our lives scrolling through videos, shouldn't that be a problem? 
Maybe TikTok can revamp their design to be more mindful of user behavior and minimize those addictive features 
.
anyway back to the point, i feel bad for tiktok tho, they're just trying to make money and provide a service. shouldn't we just let people use social media responsibly instead of slapping them with fines? 
.
i totally get why the eu is cracking down on tiktok - those features are SOooo addictive 