European Commission Preliminarily Finds TikTok Breached DSA Over For You Feed

The European Commission has preliminarily found TikTok breached the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA) over risks from repeated For You feed recommendations, and proposed changes to reduce those risks.

The Commission said repeated watching or liking can signal interest to TikTok’s system, leading it to recommend more similar videos, including material about weight loss and body image. It warned that repeated exposure to content about sadness, isolation or body image may harm mental health, particularly among vulnerable adults and minors.

The Commission said TikTok’s content-diversification measures and user controls, including the “not interested” button, have not sufficiently reduced repeated recommendations. Its proposed changes include giving more weight to users’ stated preferences, removing viewing time as a recommendation signal, improving controls and regularly testing the algorithm.

“The Digital Services Act makes platforms responsible for addressing the negative effects related to their recommender system,” said Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission’s executive vice president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy.

TikTok may review the investigation files and submit a written defense. The European Board for Digital Services will also be consulted. The finding remains preliminary, and no final decision or fine has been issued. If the Commission confirms a breach, it may impose a fine of up to 6% of the provider’s total worldwide annual turnover in the preceding financial year.