The European Commission has released a preliminary conclusion that some of TikTok's design solutions can serve to "long-term user retention" and strengthen addiction-like habits. According to the Commission's position, this situation is likely to contradict the rules requiring platforms to assess and mitigate risks in advance.
The commission particularly emphasizes several "mechanics": unlimited tape (repeatedly rotating tape), automatic video insertion, push notifications, and highly personalized recommendations. In their opinion, it is precisely these things that constantly "tease" a person to new content and make it difficult to stop themselves - especially in children and adolescents.
Henna Virkkunen also firmly stated the position on this matter: social media addiction can negatively affect growing consciousness, therefore rules should not remain on paper but work in practice.
What will happen now? The preliminary conclusion is not yet the "final verdict." The Brussels side will allow TikTok to respond, defend its position, and, possibly, propose measures to mitigate the risk. But if violations of the rules are proven, the company faces the threat of large fines, and most importantly - the Commission may demand that the platform change precisely the "basic design": for example, step-by-step limitation of unlimited spins, strengthening the mechanics of breaks, and similar solutions.
In short, this story doesn't mean "there's a lot of content" - the question "how are we delivering content?" has now risen to the level of big politics. And this trend will only intensify in the coming years: for platforms, not only "username retention" but also "user preservation" is becoming a KPI.
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