According to the European Commission’s preliminary findings, TikTok’s video recommendation system may be in breach of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), as its design could encourage users to repeatedly view harmful content, particularly minors and people struggling with mental health issues.
The European Commission says that the algorithm behind TikTok’s personalised “For You” feed continuously recommends similar videos based on users’ previous activity, potentially creating what is known as a “rabbit hole effect”. As a result, users may increasingly be exposed to content revolving around similar topics, such as sadness, isolation, weight or body image. Repeated exposure to such content could have a detrimental impact on their mental health.
The Commission says TikTok would have to make changes to its recommendation system, placing greater emphasis on users’ explicit choices in the design of the “For You” feed, improving content control options and regularly assessing how its algorithm operates.
TikTok now has the opportunity to review the investigation documents and submit a written response to the preliminary findings.
