EU: Tiktok faces punishment for endangering mental health

Brussels. According to preliminary investigation results by the EU Commission, the Chinese network Tiktok is endangering its users through the video recommendations on its platform. The company faces a fine because its algorithm shows even vulnerable users an endless stream of personalized videos that can worsen psychological problems, the Brussels authority said.

The Commission accuses Tiktok of not having adequately contained this risk. The algorithm evaluates viewing and liking as interest and then shows more similar content that revolves around sadness, isolation, weight and body image. The previous countermeasures are not effective. Even the “Not interested” button is not enough to change the feed.

The so-called For-You-Page, which is intended to display content that interests users particularly quickly, is the focus of the process. The EU Commission is demanding changes here because it fears so-called rabbit hole effects.

What this means is that you get so deeply lost in a topic that you can't find your way out - similar to how the main character in the story "Alice in Wonderland" gets lost down a rabbit hole. Algorithms – to put it simply, instructions for computers written by humans – can theoretically recognize and exploit such behavioral patterns so that users spend more time on a platform.