Brussels threatens to impose a fine: EU Commission orders Tiktok to change its algorithm

Endless scrolling on Tiktok can increase mental illness - according to the EU Commission. Brussels is now calling on the social media app to fundamentally change its algorithm. Users should have more control over the content shown to them.

The EU Commission has accused the video platform Tiktok of using its algorithm to fuel addiction, eating and anxiety disorders. She ordered the company to make changes to the “harmful” functionality of its app in order to protect the mental health of users. If Tiktok doesn't change its algorithm, the company could face a fine.

This is about the so-called “rabbit hole” effect: the longer users watch videos on a certain topic, the more the algorithm shows them similar and more extreme videos. "This functionality can be harmful if such endlessly repeated content is about, for example, sadness, loneliness or body image," the commission found.

The commission also said that anyone who falls into such a “rabbit hole” could suffer from increased sadness, anxiety disorders, dissatisfaction with their own body and lower self-esteem in the long term. In this way, Tiktok can worsen eating disorders and mental illnesses.

Brussels has already called on Tiktok for changes several times, most recently in July and February of this year. The company has already reacted, but the changes were not enough, the commission now found. Users can now, for example, ban videos from their homepage using the “not interested” option. According to Brussels' assessment, this changes little to the algorithm.

The commission therefore instructed Tiktok to fundamentally change the way the “For You” page on Tiktok works. The algorithm should no longer be based on how long users watch a video. Instead, they should have more control over the “For You” page and be able to determine more themselves what they see on Tiktok.

Tiktok can now respond to the allegations from Brussels and suggest changes. If the Commission's suspicions are confirmed, it can impose a fine of a maximum of six percent of the global annual turnover. The platform is officially based in the USA, but is owned by the Chinese parent company.