EU tells TikTok to fix ‘harmful’ For You feed, threatens fines

The European Union has ordered TikTok to change the algorithm powering its For You feed, threatening the social media platform with large fines.

On Friday, Brussels accused TikTok of violating the EU’s Digital Services Act over the “harmful ‘rabbit holes’ effect” by feeding users similar video clips based on what they’ve previously viewed or liked, even if they are “triggering”.

“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’ well-being, including those of minors.”

The algorithm, according to the EU, results in the “endless” exposure of users to “content about sadness, isolation or body image.”

The EU said that although TikTok had made some changes to mitigate the risks highlighted by the commission, the tweaks were not enough.

TikTok rejected the EU’s findings, saying they are “fundamentally inaccurate and distort our platform’s architecture and our commitment to user safety”.

TikTok has “a strong record of protecting our community while giving users direct and intuitive control over their content experience”, a spokesperson for the tech giant said.

Brussels’ fines on the Chinese-owned platform could increase by up to 6 percent, according to regulators, unless the platform resolves the issue. The company will have a chance to respond before the commission issues its final decision.

Recent efforts in countries like France, Spain and England have focused on protecting minors on social media platforms from predatory behaviour, cyberbullying, deteriorating mental health and eating disorders. Several countries introduced social media bans for children below the age of 15.

In February, the EU found 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”.

Whereas the EU’s February findings focused on features such as the impact of notifications, Friday’s order went after the algorithm itself, a senior EU official told the AFP news agency.

In July, the bloc accused TikTok of exposing children to risks like cyberbullying and predatory behaviour.

In the same month, Brussels ordered Meta to change Facebook’s and Instagram’s feeds in an investigation into the platforms’ violations of the bloc’s Digital Services Act.