EU requires TikTok to modify personalized 'feeds' due to 'harmful' effects
Platform is accused of ignoring user preferences and exposing minors to harmful content through recommendation algorithms
Quick Look
The European Commission is investigating TikTok for possible violations of the Digital Services Act (DSA), focusing on recommendation algorithms that could harm the mental health of minors and vulnerable adults by creating cycles of consumption of harmful content.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The Digital Services Act (DSA) is the EU's main legal tool for regulating large technology companies. The current focus is the impact of recommendation algorithms on mental health.
The subsidiary of the Chinese group ByteDance may receive a fine because, according to the European Commission, the company may have violated fundamental rules of the Digital Services Act (DSA).
The legislation, which establishes rules for content, is one of the main legal tools adopted by the EU in recent years to regulate large technology companies.
At the heart of the issue is the functioning of the TikTok system that recommends content to users.
Personalized video streams are designed to repeatedly display content that has piqued the user's interest. This includes themes that, when consumed recurrently, can affect physical and moral well-being, such as sadness, loneliness and issues related to self-esteem.
According to the European Commission, continuous and repeated consumption of this type of content can have negative effects on mental health, especially among vulnerable adults and minors. The phenomenon is known in English as "rabbit holes", an expression used to describe situations in which the user is led to consume more and more content on the same topic.
The social network has already made changes to its personalized flows, but the European Commission considers that the measures are not enough. Therefore, it requires TikTok to make profound changes that affect the platform's own business model, based on keeping users' attention for as long as possible.
According to the European Commission, even when a user indicates that they are no longer interested in a certain type of content, the TikTok system can ignore this choice to increase the time they spend on the platform.
"The Commission made a series of fundamentally inaccurate statements," a spokesperson for the group told AFP. "We have a proven track record in protecting our community," the platform added.
TikTok is also being investigated for suspected violations of the same regulation, including possible failure to comply with obligations to protect minors, which could increase the risk of harassment in the digital environment and exposure to possible predators.
The EU has expanded measures to regulate social networks based on the DSA and intends to prohibit access to these platforms by children under 13 due to the risks to the well-being and development of this audience.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
TikTok is expected to make profound changes to its content recommendation model.
Likely · Within months
Open Questions
- What will be the exact amount of the fine imposed?
- What specific changes will TikTok implement to the algorithm?
