The European Commission, the European Union’s independent executive arm, said on Friday that TikTok has breached the Digital Services Act due to its “addictive” features.
The Commission said features like infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, and TikTok’s highly personalized recommendation system encourage compulsive use, potentially harming users’ physical and mental wellbeing, particularly minors and vulnerable adults.
It noted that TikTok had not adequately assessed or mitigated these risks, despite evidence that such design elements can shift users into “autopilot mode” and reduce self-control.
To address these issues, the Commission said that “TikTok needs to change the basic design of its service.”
It suggested the platform strengthen “screen time breaks” so users cannot easily dismiss the warning and gradually disable key addictive features, including infinite scroll.
TikTok has yet to respond.
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EU countries ban social media for minors
As young children and vulnerable adults have become increasingly addicted to social media, particularly TikTok, European countries have taken action to address the issue.
During the World Government Summit in Dubai, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez vowed that his government would “take back control” to protect minors from consuming harmful online content.
He said Spain will ban children under 16 from creating social media accounts and promised to investigate violations on Grok, TikTok, and Instagram.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron has also passed a law, restricting social media access for children under 15.
He said it aims to protect young users from harmful content, online harassment, and the negative effects of excessive screen time.
“Banning social media for those under 15: this is what scientists recommend, and this is what the French people are overwhelmingly calling for,” Macron said after the Parliament voted 130‑21 in favor of the measure.
“Because our children’s brains are not for sale – neither to American platforms nor to Chinese networks. Because their dreams must not be dictated by algorithms,” he added, as quoted by ABC News.
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Ian Trinidad 
Newsjustnews writers 
Shameeka Voyiya