At a Glance

• The European Union says TikTok's "For You" feed breaches the bloc's digital rules.

• Regulators say the algorithm can harm users' mental health and body image.

• TikTok rejects the findings as inaccurate.

The European Union accused TikTok on Friday of breaching its digital rules because its algorithm serves a nonstop stream of personalized videos that regulators say can hurt users' well-being.

Key Statements and Focus Area

• EU on the Algorithm: "Every time a user scrolls or likes a video on TikTok, the algorithm serves more of the same, leading users down rabbit holes they cannot easily escape from." — Henna Virkkunen, European Commission Executive Vice-President.

• TikTok's Response: The Commission's findings are "fundamentally inaccurate and distort our platform's architecture and our commitment to user safety." — TikTok statement.

• Focus Area: The EU's preliminary findings against TikTok's "For You" feed and the changes regulators are demanding.

The Commission said TikTok failed to assess how its recommendation systems can pull people into "rabbit holes" by feeding them similar clips based on past viewing and likes, including triggering content such as videos about weight loss and mental health struggles.

Regulators want TikTok to redesign the feed so users have more control over opting out of certain content, give more weight to users' explicit preferences, stop relying on viewing time as a recommendation metric, and make controls easier to find.

They said measures TikTok has added, such as a "not interested" button, are ineffective at reducing how often harmful content is recommended.

TikTok will have a chance to respond before the Commission issues a final decision, which could include a fine of up to 6% of its total annual revenue. Virkkunen said TikTok needs to step up efforts to protect users' well-being, including minors.

The company said it has a strong record of protecting its community and giving users direct, intuitive control over their experience.

FYI

The findings fall under the Digital Services Act, the EU's wide-ranging rule book for tech platforms, which carries heavy financial penalties.

The Commission opened its investigation into TikTok more than two years ago and has already issued two other sets of preliminary findings this year, over "addictive design" features that encourage compulsive use by children and over failures to adequately protect children's privacy rights.

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