EU finds TikTok's infinite scroll and personalised feed addictive

The European Commission says TikTok is in breach of the Digital Services Act for "addictive design," in a February 5 press release.

"The Commission's investigation preliminarily indicates that TikTok did not adequately assess how these addictive features could harm the physical and mental wellbeing of its users, including minors and vulnerable adults … by constantly ‘rewarding' users with new content, certain design features of TikTok fuel the urge to keep scrolling and shift the brain of users into ‘autopilot mode'."

Any concrete changes may take time. The EU fined X €120 million last year for deceptive design practices and other regulation breaches, a penalty Elon Musk called "insane." Whether TikTok will alter its design in response to this scrutiny remains to be seen.

European Union

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