The European Commission has reached a preliminary finding that TikTok may be in breach of European Union online-content rules because its recommendation system can create a “rabbit hole” effect, repeatedly directing users towards particular types of material. The Commission said it had notified ByteDance, the Chinese technology company that owns TikTok, of the findings.
According to the Commission, the more a user interacts with a certain type of content, the more the TikTok algorithm recommends similar material. It said continuous exposure to content related to sadness, loneliness or body image may negatively affect users’ mental health.
Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission’s Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, said TikTok’s content recommendation system breaches the EU’s Digital Services Act. The Commission said that when users repeatedly watch or like content about weight loss or body image, the system treats those interactions as “positive signals of interest” and recommends more similar material.
The Commission warned that this could increase feelings of sadness or anxiety, lead to body dissatisfaction and lower self-esteem, or worsen existing eating disorders and mental health conditions. It said TikTok had failed to implement “proportionate, reasonable and effective risk mitigation measures” to address those risks.
Users are not able to effectively control the content recommended to them, the Commission said, adding that use of a “not interested” button may not be sufficient to change the content feed. It said TikTok should modify the design of its algorithm, give greater weight to users’ explicitly stated preferences, improve the accessibility and ease of use of user controls, and test its algorithm regularly.
The assessment forms part of a wider EU investigation into TikTok. In February, the EU also accused the platform over addictive design, insufficient efforts to protect children, and making it more difficult for researchers to request access to publicly available data. TikTok said those allegations were “completely wrong” and that it would take steps to challenge them.
If ByteDance does not resolve the issue, it could face a fine of up to 6 percent of its global turnover next year. The European Commission is also conducting a separate investigation into “rabbit hole” effects linked to the recommendation systems used by Meta’s Facebook and Instagram platforms.
