EU finds TikTok’s design addictive and threatens multibillion-euro fines

The European Commission has concluded in preliminary findings that TikTok’s app design, including infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications and a highly personalised recommender system, creates an “addictive design” that the platform failed to properly assess or mitigate under the Digital Services Act (DSA). The Commission said the features risked users’ physical and mental wellbeing, particularly minors and vulnerable adults, and warned TikTok it must change core elements of the service or face enforcement measures.

Published on Feb. 6, 2026, the Commission’s preliminary report singled out the continuous feed and algorithmic rewards as drivers of compulsive use, saying the mechanics can put “the brain of users into 'autopilot mode'” and lead to “compulsive behaviour” that reduces self-control. The agency said the app “did not adequately assess” how those features could harm “the physical and mental wellbeing of its users, including minors and vulnerable adults.”

As remedies the Commission has asked TikTok to “change the basic design of its service,” specifying steps that include disabling key addictive features, implementing effective “screen time breaks,” including during the night, and adapting its recommender system to reduce compulsive engagement. Enforcement under the DSA could carry fines of up to 6 percent of the parent company ByteDance’s total global annual turnover; depending on the company’s revenues, that penalty could amount to tens of billions of euros.

The preliminary finding triggers a formal procedure in which TikTok is entitled to respond. Cecilia Isola, an associate researcher at Fondazione SERICS, noted the expected exchange between regulator and company: “They must send their own observation on the preliminary findings. There will be an exchange of information.” The Commission will consider TikTok’s observations before reaching any final decision and imposing potential fines.

European officials framed the move as part of a wider effort to protect children and citizens online. Henna Virkkunen, the Commission’s executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, warned that social media addiction could have “detrimental effects” on the minds of children and teens and stated, “In Europe, we enforce our legislation to protect our children and our citizens online.” A Commission spokesperson, Thomas Regnier, added that “the measures that TikTok has in place are simply not enough” and that the features “lead to the compulsive use of the app, especially for our kids, and this poses major risks to their mental health and wellbeing.”

TikTok rejected the findings in strong terms, calling the assessment “categorically false and entirely meritless depiction of our platform” and saying the company “will take whatever steps are necessary to challenge these findings through every means available to us.” The company signaled it would use its right of defence as the procedure moves forward.

Analysts said the ruling marks a significant test of the DSA. Paolo Pescatore described the action as “a reality check” for TikTok and “a warning shot” for other platforms whose product design favors continuous engagement. The case follows earlier EU scrutiny of TikTok and broader enforcement actions against social-media firms, underscoring Brussels’s intent to apply the new law to algorithmic design and user safety.

Regulators and platform designers now face a consequential choice: alter features that drove TikTok’s growth or litigate what could become a precedent for how democratic governments regulate persuasive technology.