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EU Fines TikTok for Addictive Design Violating Digital Services Act

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The European Commission is imposing a fine on TikTok for violating the Digital Services Act (DSA) due to its addictive design features, including infinite scroll, autoplay, and personalized recommendations. The commission found that TikTok failed to assess the potential harm to users' physical and mental well-being, particularly minors and vulnerable adults. The fine could reach up to 6% of TikTok's global annual turnover if the findings are confirmed. TikTok is required to modify its core service design to include screen time breaks and disable addictive features.

Timeline

  1. 06.02.2026 15:53 1 articles · 8h ago

    EU Fines TikTok for Addictive Design Violating Digital Services Act

    The European Commission is imposing a fine on TikTok for violating the Digital Services Act (DSA) due to its addictive design features, including infinite scroll, autoplay, and personalized recommendations. The commission found that TikTok failed to assess the potential harm to users' physical and mental well-being, particularly minors and vulnerable adults. The fine could reach up to 6% of TikTok's global annual turnover if the findings are confirmed. TikTok is required to modify its core service design to include screen time breaks and disable addictive features.

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Information Snippets

  • TikTok's addictive features, such as infinite scroll and autoplay, are breaching the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA).

    First reported: 06.02.2026 15:53
    1 source, 1 article
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  • TikTok has failed to assess the potential harm of its design features on users' physical and mental well-being.

    First reported: 06.02.2026 15:53
    1 source, 1 article
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  • The commission found that TikTok's design fuels compulsive behavior by rewarding users with new content constantly.

    First reported: 06.02.2026 15:53
    1 source, 1 article
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  • TikTok disregarded indicators of compulsive use, including the time minors spend on the app at night and how frequently users open it.

    First reported: 06.02.2026 15:53
    1 source, 1 article
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  • The fine could reach up to 6% of TikTok's global annual turnover if the findings are confirmed.

    First reported: 06.02.2026 15:53
    1 source, 1 article
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  • TikTok needs to implement screen time breaks, adapt its recommendation system, and disable key addictive features to avoid the fine.

    First reported: 06.02.2026 15:53
    1 source, 1 article
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  • The EU tech commissioner Henna Virkkunen stated that social media addiction can have detrimental effects on the developing minds of children and teens.

    First reported: 06.02.2026 15:53
    1 source, 1 article
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  • TikTok's mitigation measures, such as parental controls and screen-time management tools, are deemed ineffective as they are easy to dismiss and require manual activation.

    First reported: 06.02.2026 15:53
    1 source, 1 article
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  • In November, French prosecutors opened a criminal investigation into TikTok for failing to safeguard the mental health of children.

    First reported: 06.02.2026 15:53
    1 source, 1 article
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  • The Irish Data Protection Commission fined TikTok €530 million in May 2025 for illegally transferring personal data of EEA users to China.

    First reported: 06.02.2026 15:53
    1 source, 1 article
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