TikTok faces EU scrutiny over harmful ‘rabbit hole’ recommendations
The European Commission has preliminarily found that TikTok’s personalised ‘For You’ feed may violate the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) by repeatedly recommending similar content and potentially leading users into harmful “rabbit holes,” Qazinform News Agency reports.
According to the European Commission press release, the platform’s recommendation system may repeatedly expose users to content related to sadness, isolation, mental health struggles and body image. Such exposure could negatively affect users’ wellbeing, particularly that of minors and vulnerable adults.
According to the preliminary findings, TikTok did not adequately assess the risks posed by its recommendation algorithm or implement sufficiently effective measures to address them. The system uses engagement signals, such as watching and liking videos, to suggest similar content. For example, users who repeatedly interact with weight-loss or body-image content may receive more of the same material.
The Commission warned that repeated exposure could increase anxiety and sadness, contribute to body dissatisfaction and lower self-esteem, and worsen existing eating disorders or other mental health conditions.
It also found that TikTok’s existing safeguards, including measures to diversify recommended content and the “not interested” button, were not sufficiently effective in reducing repeated recommendations. The platform’s algorithm continues to prioritize viewing time over users’ stated preferences to see less of certain content.
The Commission said TikTok needs to redesign its ‘For You’ feed. Possible changes include giving greater weight to users’ explicit preferences, disabling viewing time as an indicator for recommending content, improving access to content controls and regularly testing the algorithm.
If the Commission’s preliminary findings are ultimately confirmed, it may issue a non-compliance decision and impose a fine of up to 6% of TikTok’s total worldwide annual turnover.
The findings are part of the Commission’s broader investigation into TikTok’s compliance with the DSA. Previous preliminary findings addressed the platform’s addictive design in February 2026 and the protection of minors in July 2026. The Commission stressed that its latest preliminary findings do not prejudge the outcome of the investigation.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that TikTok and its parent company ByteDance agreed to pay $400 million to settle a US lawsuit alleging that the platform violated federal protections for children’s privacy.