EU accuses TikTok of 'addictive design' and seeks changes to protect
users
[February 06, 2026] By
KELVIN CHAN
LONDON (AP) — The European Union on Friday accused TikTok of breaching
the bloc's digital rules with “addictive design” features including
autoplay and infinite scroll, in preliminary charges that strike at the
heart of the popular video sharing app's operating model.
EU regulators said their investigation found that TikTok hasn't done
enough to assess how its features could harm the physical and mental
health of users, including children and “vulnerable adults.”
The European Commission said it believes TikTok should change the “basic
design” of its service. The commission is the EU’s executive arm and
enforcer of the 27-nation bloc's Digital Services Act, a sweeping
rulebook that requires social media companies to clean up their
platforms and protect users, under threat of hefty fines.
TikTok denied the accusations.
“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,” the company said in a statement.
TikTok now has a chance to reply to the commission's findings, which
could lead to a so-called non-compliance decision and possible fine
worth up to 6% of the company's total annual revenue.
“Social media addiction can have detrimental effects on the developing
minds of children and teens," Henna Virkkunen, the commission's
executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy,
said in a press statement. "The Digital Services Act makes platforms
responsible for the effects they can have on their users. In Europe, we
enforce our legislation to protect our children and our citizens
online.”
The preliminary findings from Brussels are the latest example of
pressure that TikTok and other social media platforms are facing over
youth addiction.
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 Australia has banned social media
for under-16s while governments in Spain, France, and Denmark want
to introduce similar measures. In the U.S., TikTok last month
settled a landmark social media addiction lawsuit while two other
companies named in the suit — Meta’s Instagram and Google’s YouTube
— still face claims that their platforms deliberately addict and
harm children.
The commission said that TikTok fuels the urge to keep scrolling
because it constantly rewards users with new content, leading to
reduced self control.
It said TikTok ignores signs that someone is compulsively using the
app, such as the amount of time that minors spend on it at night,
and how often the app is opened.
The company has failed to put in place “reasonable, proportionate
and effective” measures to offset the risks, it said.
The commission said TikTok's existing time management controls are
easy to dismiss and “introduce limited friction," while parental
tools need "additional time and skills" from parents.
Changes that the commission wants TikTok to make include disabling
features like infinite scroll; putting in more effective breaks for
screen time, including at night; and changing its “highly
personalized” recommender system, which feeds users an endless
stream of video shorts based on their preferences.
TikTok says it has numerous tools, such as custom screen time limits
and sleep reminders, that let users make “intentional decisions”
about how they spend their time on the app.
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