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The European Commission on Friday accused TikTok of purposefully designing its app for being \u201caddictive,\u201d calling out features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, and push notifications, as well as its recommendation engine.<\/p>\n
In preliminary findings from an investigation that sought to determine TikTok\u2019s compliance with the European Union\u2019s far-reaching Digital Services Act<\/a>, the Commission said the short video platform did not \u201cadequately assess\u201d how its design decisions could harm the well-being of its users, particularly minors and vulnerable adults.<\/p>\n The EU\u2019s executive arm said the company disregarded \u201cimportant indicators of compulsive use of the app\u201d like the time users spend at night, and how often users open it.<\/p>\n \u201cBy constantly \u2018rewarding\u2019 users with new content, certain design features of TikTok fuel the urge to keep scrolling and shift the brain of users into \u2018autopilot mode\u2019. Scientific research shows that this may lead to compulsive behaviour and reduce users\u2019 self-control,\u201d the Commission wrote in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Commission said TikTok must change the \u201cbasic design\u201d of its user interface by disabling features like infinite scroll, implementing screen time breaks, and changing its recommendation system.<\/p>\n TikTok did not immediately respond to TechCrunch\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n TikTok does offer screen-time management tools and parental controls, but the European Commission said those tools don\u2019t do enough to reduce the risks of its addictive design. \u201cThe time management tools do not seem to be effective in enabling users to reduce and control their use of TikTok because they are easy to dismiss and introduce limited friction. Similarly, parental controls may not be effective because they require additional time and skills from parents to introduce the controls,\u201d the Commission wrote.<\/p>\n Techcrunch event<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBoston, MA<\/span> The allegations against TikTok come as social media platforms deal with heightened scrutiny across the world, with some governments pushing to ban young users from accessing social media altogether. In December, Australia mandated<\/a> social media sites to deactivate accounts belonging to users under 16, and the U.K. and Spain are reportedly looking into similar measures. France, Denmark, Italy, and Norway have worked on similar age-restriction measures<\/a> for social media platforms, and in the United States, 24 states have so far enacted age-verification<\/a> laws.<\/p>\n
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