EU asks TikTok to disable ‘addictive’ features
The European Commission on Friday accused TikTok of purposefully designing its app for being “addictive,” calling out features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, and push notifications, as well as its recommendation engine.
In preliminary findings from an investigation that sought to determine TikTok’s compliance with the European Union’s far-reaching Digital Services Act, the Commission said the short video platform did not “adequately assess” how its design decisions could harm the well-being of its users, particularly minors and vulnerable adults.
The EU’s executive arm said the company disregarded “important indicators of compulsive use of the app” like the time users spend at night, and how often users open it.
“By constantly ‘rewarding’ users with new content, certain design features of TikTok fuel the urge to keep scrolling and shift the brain of users into ‘autopilot mode’. Scientific research shows that this may lead to compulsive behaviour and reduce users’ self-control,” the Commission wrote in a statement.