TikTok Must Change For You Feed or Face EU Fines
The European Commission says TikTok’s personalised For You feed can lead users into harmful “rabbit holes” and may violate EU digital rules. The platform could
The European Commission says TikTok’s personalised For You feed can lead users into harmful “rabbit holes” and may violate EU digital rules. The platform could face a fine of up to 6% of its global annual turnover if the case results in a penalty.
The Commission issued its warning on Friday, saying TikTok had not adequately assessed how its recommendation system could affect children and other vulnerable users. It wants the company to redesign the feed so people have more control over the content they see.
How the feed can amplify content
TikTok recommends videos based on what users watch and interact with. The Commission says that can create a cycle: engagement with one kind of material prompts the feed to serve more of it, potentially leading to repeated exposure to content about sadness, isolation, weight loss or body image.
Regulators said TikTok failed to properly assess the risks its recommendation systems pose to users’ well-being. They also raised concerns about features such as autoplay, which can keep videos playing without a user choosing each one.
The EU’s concern is not simply that an individual video may be upsetting. It is that the feed’s design can repeatedly surface similar material, including content that may be triggering for people already vulnerable to it.
Changes and possible penalties
The Commission has called for changes that give users more direct control, including the ability to opt out of certain recommendations. Suggested measures also include screen-time breaks and changes to features that encourage prolonged use.
The findings are preliminary, and TikTok has been invited to respond. The Commission could impose a fine of up to 6% of the company’s total global annual turnover, a penalty that could amount to tens of billions of dollars, depending on the final outcome.
EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said TikTok would need to “change the design of their service in Europe” to avoid a fine if regulators uphold their concerns.
TikTok disputes the findings
TikTok rejected the Commission’s assessment, saying it misrepresents how the platform works and the steps it takes to protect users. The company called the findings “fundamentally inaccurate” and said it plans to challenge them.
The dispute puts the feed’s design at the centre of a test of the EU’s Digital Services Act, which requires large online platforms to address risks linked to their services. For users, any changes could affect how recommendations appear and how easily they can interrupt an endless stream of videos.
The Commission’s next step depends on TikTok’s response to the preliminary findings.
