EU says ‘rabbit hole’ video feeds on TikTok violate its digital rules

TikTok was told it must change the design of its For You feed (Alamy/PA)

The European Union has accused TikTok of breaching the bloc’s digital rules because its algorithm recommends users a non-stop stream of personalised videos including those that it says could hurt mental health and body image.

The video sharing platform must change the design of its For You feed so that users have more control over opting out of seeing certain content, the bloc’s executive arm said.

The platform failed to assess how its recommendation systems could lead people into “rabbit holes” that threaten their wellbeing, regulators said, by feeding them similar video clips based on what they have previously viewed or liked even if it is “triggering”, such as clips about weight loss and mental health struggles.

TikTok will have a chance to respond to the preliminary findings before the European Commission issues its final decision, which could include a fine of up to 6% of TikTok’s total annual revenue.

“Every time a user scrolls or likes a video on TikTok, the algorithm serves more of the same, leading users down rabbit holes they cannot easily escape from,” European Commission executive vice-president Henna Virkkunen, who oversees tech sovereignty, said in a statement.

“Today’s preliminary findings show again that TikTok needs to step up its efforts to protect users’ wellbeing, including those of minors.”

TikTok has added some measures, such as a “not interested” button to reduce the “rabbit hole effect” but the commission said they are ineffective in reducing how often harmful content is recommended.

European regulators said they want TikTok to make changes to its For You feed, including giving more weight to “explicit preferences” of people using the platform, stopping reliance on viewing time as a metric for recommending content, and making user controls more accessible.

It is the latest in a series of enforcement actions targeting TikTok by EU regulators using the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA), a wide-ranging rulebook that requires tech companies to adhere to a framework under threat of hefty financial penalties.

The commission opened its investigation into whether TikTok violated the DSA more than two years ago.

This year it has already issued two other sets of preliminary findings, accusing the platform of breaching the rules with “addictive design” features that lead to compulsive use by children and charging it with failing to adequately protect children’s privacy rights.