Science & Tech · Big Tech & Internet · 15 mins ago
EU says TikTok may breach rules over harmful recommendation loops
The European Commission says TikTok’s video feed may lead users into harmful content loops.
Its preliminary findings say repeated recommendations about sadness, self-harm and body image could harm mental health, especially for young people and vulnerable adults.
The concern is how TikTok’s For You feed recommends videos, based on signals such as what users watch and for how long.
The case focuses on legal videos that may become harmful through repeated exposure, not on removing content.
The Commission says TikTok may have breached the EU’s Digital Services Act by failing to assess risks properly and provide effective safeguards.
It says tools meant to diversify recommendations or let users reject content do not work well enough.
TikTok can review and challenge the preliminary findings, and the Commission says it wants recommendations to reflect what users explicitly choose.
If a breach is confirmed, TikTok could face a fine of up to 6% of annual global revenue.
The European Commission issued preliminary findings that TikTok’s recommendation system may violate the Digital Services Act by exposing users to harmful recommendation loops.
The Commission said repeated videos about topics such as sadness, isolation and body image could harm mental health, especially among minors and vulnerable people.
It found TikTok’s existing measures, including the “not interested” button and feed refresh, were ineffective at stopping repetitive recommendations.
The EU wants TikTok to change the design of its personalised For You feed and give users more control over recommendations.
The findings are not final, and TikTok can review the evidence and defend itself; a confirmed violation could bring a fine of up to 6% of global annual turnover.
- Who
- The European Commission and TikTok.
- What
- The Commission issued preliminary findings that TikTok’s recommendation system may breach the Digital Services Act and called for changes to its For You feed.
- When
- Nov 6, 2026.
- Where
- The European Union.
- Why
- The Commission said repeated exposure to similar videos could harm users’ mental health, particularly that of minors and vulnerable people.
European Commission
TikTok
Feed design
European Commission
The Commission says TikTok’s recommendation system can expose users to harmful repetitive content and that current safeguards are ineffective.
TikTok
TikTok’s response to these specific preliminary findings is not stated in the sources.
Required changes
European Commission
The Commission wants TikTok to change its feed design and give users greater control over recommendations.
TikTok
TikTok’s position on the requested changes is not stated in the sources.
The European Commission launched a broader investigation into TikTok under the Digital Services Act.
The Commission issued preliminary findings that TikTok’s recommendation system may violate the Digital Services Act.
TikTok can review the Commission’s evidence and defend itself against the accusations.
The Commission could fine TikTok up to 6% of its global annual turnover.
- Users in the EU
- 189 million
- Potential fine
- Up to 6% of global annual turnover
- Investigation launched
- February 2024
- Feed at issue
- TikTok’s personalised For You feed
- Measures criticised
- Not interested” button and feed refresh
5 sources
EU charges TikTok with failing to protect users’ mental health
L'UE somme TikTok de modifier ses flux personnalisés, accusés d'effets "nocifs"
EU tells TikTok to change ‘harmful’ For You feed
Brussel waarschuwt TikTok voor schadelijke filmpjesfeed en dreigt met boete
EU accuses TikTok of trapping users in harmful ‘rabbit holes’
What people are saying
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
The more a user interacts with a certain type of content, the more TikTok’s ‘For You’ feed algorithm recommends similar content. This design can be harmful when such endless and repeated exposure involves, for example, content about sadness, isolation or body image.
If you get a chain of hundreds or even thousands of videos of the same kind of content, this drives people in what we call a rabbit hole, and this has a negative impact on people's mental well-being