EU accuses TikTok of ‘addictive design’ in preliminary Digital Services Act case
The European Commission has issued preliminary findings that TikTok’s “addictive design” violates the EU’s Digital Services Act, alleging multiple failures to assess and mitigate risks to the physical and mental well-being of minors and vulnerable adults. If upheld, the ruling could expose the platform to a fine of up to 6% of its global annual turnover. TikTok can challenge the conclusions and submit a written response.
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Investigators cited product features including infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications and a highly personalized AI-driven recommender system designed to maximize time on the app. Officials said those design choices can fuel compulsive behavior, reduce self-control and push users—especially teens—into a “rabbit hole” of nonstop content, particularly late at night.
According to the Commission, TikTok did not adequately assess how such features might harm users and disregarded key warning signs of compulsive use, such as the time minors spend on the app at night and the frequency with which users open it. The platform’s screen-time and parental controls were deemed too easy to dismiss and insufficient to reduce risk.
In guidance to the company, the Commission said TikTok should disable certain features like infinite scroll over time and implement effective screen-time breaks, including after midnight. Officials also said mandatory limits and nighttime lockouts are needed “to avoid sleep deprivation.”
The preliminary findings follow an investigation launched in February 2024 and draw on TikTok’s risk assessments and internal data, responses to multiple information requests, recent scientific research, and interviews with experts in fields including behavioral addiction. Citing growing evidence of late-night use among teens, officials referenced public studies—a French parliamentary report indicating that 8% of 12- to 15-year-olds spend more than five hours a day on TikTok; a Danish study noting users as young as 8 averaging more than two hours daily; and a Polish study listing TikTok as the most-used platform after midnight among 13- to 18-year-olds.
“We found really serious shortcomings in the system,” a senior EU official said, adding that effective mitigations are possible and consistent with DSA guidelines. The Digital Services Act requires very large platforms to assess and reduce systemic risks, including those affecting minors, while the Commission stressed the law “is not censorship” but a due diligence regime.
TikTok rejected the conclusions. “The Commission’s preliminary findings present a categorically false and entirely meritless depiction of our platform, and we will take whatever steps are necessary to challenge these findings through every means available to us,” a company spokesperson said.
The company pointed to existing safeguards, including daily screen-time limits, sleep reminders that prompt users to close the app at night, meditation experiences, and silenced notifications. It said teens have access to an in-app dashboard that shows how they spend time, and “well-being missions” that award badges for staying off the app at night or meditating during sleep hours. TikTok also said 13- to 17-year-olds are automatically set to a 60-minute screen-time limit, with parents able to tighten controls through Family Pairing—preventing teens from switching accounts or logging out to bypass restrictions.
For minors, TikTok said the “For You” feed is interrupted with a guided meditation after 10 p.m., with a more robust prompt if they continue using the app, while push notifications stop at 9 p.m. for 13- to 15-year-olds and at 10 p.m. for those aged 16 to 17. The company argued there is no scientific consensus on screen time’s impact, citing a 2025 UNICEF study that found “no clear evidence that screen time directly harms children’s mental health,” though it noted potential exposure to harmful content.
The Commission emphasized that the findings are preliminary and do not prejudge the outcome. Officials said TikTok has been cooperative and has offered ideas to strengthen safeguards but maintains that the platform’s incentives tie advertising revenue to keeping users engaged as long as possible.
Ireland’s Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, called the interim findings “very serious” and said they vindicated the government’s steps to curb smartphone use in schools, including pouches to restrict access. “Our priority has to be the protection of young people and children, and their mental health in particular,” he said.
The case will proceed as TikTok reviews investigation documents and files its response. Under the DSA, the Commission can impose remedies and fines if final findings confirm the alleged violations.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
