European regulators signaled that TikTok may be required to alter core elements of its app after a preliminary assessment found the platform in breach of the bloc\u2019s digital safety rules. The European Commission said the app\u2019s design encourages excessive use and fails to adequately protect users\u2019 wellbeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The finding marks a significant escalation in regulatory scrutiny of social media design practices, particularly those affecting children and other vulnerable users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the Commission, TikTok\u2019s interface promotes continuous consumption by repeatedly rewarding users with fresh content. This design, regulators said, can foster compulsive behavior, weaken self-control, and push users into extended periods of passive scrolling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The assessment cited indicators of problematic use that were not sufficiently addressed, including extended nighttime usage by children. Regulators said the platform did not properly evaluate the risks associated with these behaviors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
EU officials said they are considering imposing changes to TikTok\u2019s underlying design. Options under review include limiting or disabling features such as infinite scroll, introducing more robust screen-time breaks, including overnight restrictions, and adjusting the algorithm that recommends content to users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At this stage, the Commission said it believes fundamental changes to how the service operates may be required to comply with the Digital Services Act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The preliminary ruling also criticized TikTok\u2019s existing safety measures. Screen-time management tools were described as too easy for users to bypass, while parental controls were said to be cumbersome and time-consuming to activate, reducing their effectiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Regulators concluded that these shortcomings undermine the platform\u2019s ability to mitigate risks created by its design choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Commission stressed that its findings are provisional and do not predetermine the outcome of the investigation. TikTok will be allowed to respond and challenge the assessment before any final decision is made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TikTok rejected the conclusions, stating that the findings mischaracterize the platform and that the company intends to contest the case through all available legal channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Breaches of the Digital Services Act can result in fines of up to 6% of a company\u2019s annual global turnover, as well as mandatory remedies such as app redesigns. While TikTok does not publicly disclose revenue figures, industry estimates suggest annual revenues of around $35 billion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The case follows earlier enforcement actions under the legislation. Last year, a major social media platform was fined \u20ac120 million for violations related to misleading features and limits on independent research, underscoring the EU\u2019s willingness to use its new regulatory powers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Preliminary ruling flags Digital Services Act breaches European regulators signaled that TikTok may be required to alter core elements of its app after a preliminary assessment found the platform in breach of the bloc\u2019s digital safety rules. The European Commission said the app\u2019s design encourages excessive use and fails to adequately protect users\u2019 wellbeing. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10772,"featured_media":13656,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[3333,3332,3329,3330,3335,3331,3334,3328],"class_list":{"0":"post-13655","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tech","8":"tag-addictive-app-design","9":"tag-digital-services-act","10":"tag-eu-tech-policy","11":"tag-online-safety","12":"tag-platform-compliance","13":"tag-screen-time-controls","14":"tag-social-media-algorithms","15":"tag-tiktok-regulation"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalgazette.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13655","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalgazette.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalgazette.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalgazette.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10772"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalgazette.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13655"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/globalgazette.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13655\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13657,"href":"https:\/\/globalgazette.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13655\/revisions\/13657"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalgazette.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13656"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalgazette.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13655"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalgazette.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13655"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalgazette.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13655"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}