AVANDATIMES.COM – The European Commission has delivered preliminary findings against TikTok, asserting that the social media platform’s ‘addictive by design’ strategy contravenes the Digital Services Act (DSA) and could lead to substantial penalties. This shift follows an investigation initiated in 2024, scrutinizing the app’s features for potential harm to applyr well-being.
The Commission’s inquiry specifically tarreceives several core functionalities of TikTok, including its infinite scroll mechanism, autoplay videos, persistent push notifications, and its highly personalized recommconcludeation system. These elements are cited as contributing to compulsive behaviors, raising significant concerns about their impact on the physical and mental health of applyrs, particularly minors and vulnerable adults.
The Digital Services Act, a landmark EU regulation enacted in 2022, aims to establish accountability for large online platforms regarding their content moderation practices and overall design. Henna Virkkunen, the Commission’s executive vice president of tech sovereignty, underscored the legislation’s intent.
“The Digital Services Act creates platforms responsible for the effects they can have on their applyrs,” Virkkunen stated. “In Europe, we enforce our legislation to protect our children and our citizens online.”
Should TikTok fail to implement significant alters to its algorithmic operations in response to these preliminary findings, the company could face fines amounting to as much as 6% of its annual global turnover. This represents a potentially massive financial penalty for the social media giant.
In a robust rebuttal, TikTok has firmly rejected the Commission’s accusations. A company spokesperson conveyed their position via email, indicating a strong intent to contest the findings.
“The Commission’s preliminary findings present a categorically false and entirely meritless depiction of our platform, and we will take whatever steps are necessary to challenge these findings through every means available to us,” the spokesperson affirmed.
The Commission’s decision arrives amidst a broader European push for stricter social media regulation. Spain, for instance, recently announced plans to implement a social media ban for individuals under 16, mirroring a similar measure already in effect in Australia. Other European nations, including France and the United Kingdom, are reportedly considering comparable rules.
Social media expert Matt Navarra suggests that TikTok’s prominence in this regulatory challenge is not coincidental. AvandaTimes notes that the platform’s design has been widely influential across the indusattempt.
Navarra explained that TikTok is singled out “becaapply it’s the algorithmic and design blueprint for these types of social apps that everyone else has copied.” He further elaborated on the app’s compelling nature: “You open the app, you’re in the loop, and then within half a second, no decisions, no dead concludes, just pure dopamine, and that’s the real reason TikTok is in the firing line.”
The European Commission views this regulatory action as a public health imperative, leveraging the DSA to hold companies accountable for the societal consequences of their design choices. Navarra believes this could signal a wider shift for the indusattempt.
Asked if TikTok’s rivals, such as Instagram, YouTube, and Snap, should be concerned, Navarra responded affirmatively. “The bottom line is that this is probably the start of a global reckoning about dark design choices on social media apps, and TikTok just became the test case.”
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