EU Takes on Social Media Addiction: TikTok Faces Design Overhaul Under New Digital Rules

The European Commission has launched an unprecedented regulatory assault on social media addiction, targeting TikTok's core design features and potentially reshaping how billions of users interact with their favorite apps.

The Digital Services Act Takes Center Stage

The Commission's findings mark the first time regulators have attempted to establish a legal standard for platform design addictiveness. Under the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), platforms must assess and mitigate risks to users, but the law's vague definitions left considerable uncertainty about where regulators would draw the line.

Two years into its TikTok investigation, the Commission has chosen to strike at the heart of platform design, claiming it poses mental health risks, particularly to children. The findings signal a new maturity in Brussels' approach to systemic risks, according to EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen.

TikTok's Core Features Under Fire

The Commission has demanded TikTok make several fundamental changes:

• Disable infinite scrolling - The endless feed that keeps users engaged for hours
• Implement strict screen time breaks - Mandatory pauses in usage
• Modify recommender systems - Change how content is suggested to users

These demands target the very mechanisms that have made TikTok one of the world's most popular and addictive platforms. The video-sharing giant has vowed to fight these findings, with spokesperson Paolo Ganino calling them "categorically false and entirely meritless."

Meta's Platforms Next in Line

Facebook and Instagram face similar scrutiny. Both platforms have been under investigation since May 2024 regarding the addictiveness of their design and potential risks to children. The Commission's approach to TikTok will likely serve as a template for these investigations.

Meta has already mounted a staunch defense in an ongoing California case where it's accused of knowingly designing an addictive platform that harms users. TikTok and Snap previously settled a similar case before trial.

The Business Model Under Threat

Katarzyna Szymielewicz, president of the Panoptykon Foundation, described the Commission's move as "ground-breaking for the business model fueled by surveillance and advertising." This suggests the EU is challenging not just individual features but the fundamental economics of social media.

What Changes Might Look Like

The Commission could agree to various modifications addressing addictive design, with solutions tailored to each platform's risk profile and usage patterns. The process may take considerable time as platforms review evidence and negotiate with regulators.

In a simpler DSA enforcement case, it took the Commission over a year after preliminary findings to declare Elon Musk's X non-compliant with transparency obligations. TikTok likely won't "get it right" on the first attempt, according to EDRi's Jan Penfrat.

Potential changes could range from modifying default settings to outright prohibiting specific design features or requiring enhanced user control. Peter Chapman, governance researcher at the Knight-Georgetown Institute, emphasizes that interventions must be targeted based on how design features are used.

For instance, notifications carry different addiction risks depending on their purpose. Message notifications present different concerns than alerts about livestreams, even though both aim to draw users back to the platform.

Global Implications

The Commission's approach could set precedents extending far beyond Europe. As the first regulator to tackle platform design addictiveness legally, Brussels may influence how social media companies operate worldwide.

With potential fines up to 6 percent of annual global revenue for non-compliance, TikTok faces significant pressure to negotiate a solution. The outcome will likely determine whether other platforms face similar demands and how the social media landscape evolves in response to growing concerns about digital addiction.

The stakes extend beyond individual companies to the fundamental nature of how we interact with digital platforms. As regulators begin to define acceptable boundaries for engagement-maximizing design, the era of unconstrained infinite scrolling may indeed be coming to an end.