TikTok’s ‘addictive design’ found to violate EU laws
According to the European Commission’s preliminary findings, the “addictive design” of social media platform TikTok violates European Union laws.
“Social media addiction can have harmful effects on the developing minds of children and young people,” European Commission vice-president Henna Virkkunen said on Friday. he said.
“In Europe, we are implementing our legislation to protect our children and citizens online,” he said.
The commission said design features claimed to be addictive include “infinite scrolling, autoplay, push notifications and a highly personalized recommendation system.”
According to preliminary findings, TikTok “failed to adequately consider how these addictive features could harm the physical and mental health of its users, including minors and vulnerable adults.”
The commission said TikTok could now respond to the consequences to exercise its right to defence.
It is stated that if the allegations are confirmed by the commission, the commission may impose a fine of up to six percent of the annual global turnover.
The commission said that the constant flow of new content “puts users’ brains into ‘autopilot mode'” which “can lead to compulsive behavior and reduce users’ self-control.”
TikTok also ignores “important indicators of compulsive use of the app, such as the amount of time minors spend on TikTok at night, the frequency with which users open the app, and other potential indicators.”
The commission said mitigation measures such as screen time management tools and parental control tools were ineffective.
The social media platform will need to “change the core design of its service” to comply with the legislation by “disabling key addictive features such as ‘infinite scrolling’ over time, implementing effective ‘screen time breaks’ including at night, and adapting its recommendation system.”
The investigation is being carried out under the Digital Services Act, a powerful set of EU laws that govern social media and technology companies operating in the bloc.
The Commission has been assessing the regulatory compliance of various social media platforms since the DSA comes into force in 2022.
In December, the commission imposed an initial fine of US$141.5 million ($202.8 million) under the law relating to Elon Musk’s X platform for transparency violations.
The US government criticized the decision, citing censorship and a travel ban on a former European commissioner and others.
