EU finds TikTok ‘addictive’ in digital law probe, 6% fine looms for ByteDance

TikTok’s “addictive design” has been found to violate EU digital laws – in a move that could land the Chinese-owned company a fine of up to 6 per cent of its global revenue.

Preliminary findings of the European Commission investigation, announced on Friday, said the video app’s infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications and “highly personalised” recommender systems had addictive properties.

Brussels wanted TikTok to change the basic design of its service, it said, including disabling some of the features perceived to be addictive.

The company – still owned by Chinese company ByteDance in Europe despite a recent deal to spin off its US arm – now has a chance to respond to the commission’s findings and decide whether to implement them.

The European Union’s executive arm said that TikTok did not “adequately assess how these addictive features could harm the physical and mental well-being of its users, including minors and vulnerable adults”.

By “constantly rewarding the users with new content”, TikTok “fuels the urge to keep scrolling and shifts the brain of users into ‘autopilot mode’”, the commission said, pointing to scientific research linking this to compulsive behaviour and loss of self-control among users.

South China Morning Post