Europe Accuses TikTok of 'Addictive Design' and Pushes for Change
1 36TikTok's endless scroll of irresistible content, tailored for each person's tastes by a well-honed algorithm, has helped the service become one of the world's most popular apps. Now European Union regulators say those same features that made TikTok so successful are likely illegal. From a report: On Friday, the regulators released a preliminary decision that TikTok's infinite scroll, auto-play features and recommendation algorithm amount to an "addictive design" that violated European Union laws for online safety. The service poses potential harm to the "physical and mental well-being" of users, including minors and vulnerable adults, the European Commission, the 27-nation bloc's executive branch, said in a statement.
The findings suggest TikTok must overhaul the core features that made it a global phenomenon, or risk major fines. European officials said it was the first time that a legal standard for social media addictiveness had been applied anywhere in the world. "TikTok needs to change the basic design of its service," the European Commission said in a statement.
1 comments
Addictive design really is a thing (Score: 5, Interesting)
by Todd Knarr ( 15451 ) on Friday February 06, 2026 @10:09AM (#65972736)
If you think addictive design isn't a thing, I suggest you visit Las Vegas and walk through any casino gaming floor. You'll find it a disorienting experience beyond anything you'll encounter elsewhere. Flashing lights, constant noise, lack of reference points to tell where you are. Hells, even the carpets are custom designs for the casino featuring abstract patterns in contrasting colors that confuse your sense of direction. And to top it off, mirrors everywhere that reflect the floor and make the space seem larger than it is. All of it's designed very deliberately to achieve an effect: leave you confused about where you are, what direction you need to go to get somewhere, even what time it is. The goal: keep you wandering the gaming floor for as long as possible so you have the greatest chance of getting attracted to the games and starting to play and the greatest chance of not realizing how long you've been there or how much you've truly spent playing.