The European Union has warned TikTok to change its “addictive design” or risk heavy fines, after an investigation found the Chinese-owned platform in breach of the bloc’s digital content rules.
The European Commission announced preliminary conclusions on Friday from a probe opened two years ago. It found TikTok is not doing enough to address the negative impacts of certain features, especially on young people and children.
The commission said TikTok appears to be in breach of the Digital Services Act due to design elements like infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, and a highly personalised recommender system. These features are believed to fuel compulsive use of the app.
EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen stated that “TikTok has to take actions, they have to change the design of their service in Europe to protect our minors and their wellbeing.”
Specific changes suggested include modifying the infinite scroll feature, implementing effective screen time breaks—including during the night—and adapting its recommender algorithms.
The investigation raised particular concerns about children’s late-night usage and found that TikTok’s existing time-management and parental control tools were too easy to dismiss or required excessive effort from parents.
TikTok can now review the EU’s findings and present its defence. If the commission’s views are upheld, the company could face a fine of up to six percent of its total global annual turnover.
The EU launched a separate probe in December 2024 into TikTok over alleged foreign interference during the Romanian presidential elections. An EU spokesman noted that TikTok has been “extremely cooperative” with regulators so far.
The warning comes as several European countries consider stricter limits on social media access for teenagers, with EU officials evaluating whether to implement similar measures across the bloc.
