Commission preliminarily finds TikTok's addictive design in breach of the Digital Services Act
06 february 2026
On February 6th, 2026,the European Commission preliminarily found TikTok in breach of the Digital Services Act for its addictive design. According to the EU Commission
ikTok did not adequately assess how these addictive features could harm the physical and mental wellbeing of its users, including minors and vulnerable adults.
For example, 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'. Scientific research shows that this may lead to compulsive behaviour and reduce users' self-control.
Additionally, in its assessment, TikTok disregarded important indicators of compulsive use of the app, such as the time that minors spend on TikTok at night, the frequency with which users open the app, and other potential indicators.
At this stage, the Commission considered that TikTok needs to change the basic design of its service. For instance, by disabling key addictive features such as ‘infinite scroll' over time, implementing effective ‘screen time breaks', including during the night, and adapting its recommender system.
These preliminary findings do not prejudge the outcome of the investigation.
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