The European Commission has brought charges against TikTok: the platform is failing to adequately protect users’ mental health, subjecting them to a continuous stream of content that may worsen eating disorders and increase anxiety. The accusation puts the platform’s business model itself at risk, reports UNN, citing The Guardian.
On Friday, the EU regulator published a preliminary finding stating that TikTok’s algorithm "may be harmful" and draws young and vulnerable users into so-called "rabbit holes," from which they find it difficult to escape.
It was established that the short-video platform, which is owned by a Chinese company and has 189 million users in the EU, failed to prevent the constant display of content on topics such as body image or social isolation. This may lead to anxiety and depression, as well as exacerbate existing eating disorders or other mental health problems.
According to EU officials, the investigation focused on legal content: an individual video may not pose a threat, but the cumulative effect of viewing dozens of similar clips on the same topic can harm users’ mental health.
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The measures taken by TikTok to minimize the risk of falling into such "rabbit holes"—when users are offered narrowly targeted and monotonous content in order to hold their attention—proved ineffective. In particular, officials said that even when a user clicked the "not interested" button on a video about eating habits, the algorithm continued to offer similar content—about diets and body image. Likewise, refreshing the feed provided only a brief interruption in the flow of content on the same topic.
"Every time a user scrolls through the feed or likes a video on TikTok, the algorithm offers even more similar content, drawing people into "rabbit holes" from which they find it difficult to escape," said Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission representative responsible for technology policy. "TikTok must step up its efforts to protect users’ well-being, particularly that of minors."
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The publication notes that this investigation puts TikTok’s business model at risk, as it is built around encouraging users to scroll through the feed for as long as possible.
EU officials are demanding that TikTok change the design of its recommendation feed ("For You"), giving users more opportunities to control the content they see. "We are looking at the business model," a European Commission representative told reporters, noting that a business model focused primarily on user engagement "could potentially create risks," especially for minors and vulnerable groups of adults.
These findings are part of a broader investigation launched in February 2024 under the Digital Services Act. The law obliges large internet companies to take measures to prevent a variety of threats—from the spread of disinformation to harm to mental health.
The European Commission has already established that the company violated EU rules by using "addictive design," including features such as an infinite scrolling feed. At the time, the company said: "The European Commission’s preliminary findings contain a categorically false and completely unfounded depiction of our platform," adding that it would challenge those findings.
A complaint concerning insufficient transparency about who paid for advertising on TikTok was settled in December last year, when the company committed to changing its policy.
TikTok now has the opportunity to review the investigation materials and prepare its defense; the company may also agree to change its recommendation system to avoid a fine.
If EU officials confirm these findings, the company could be fined up to 6% of its total global turnover.