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Rabbit hole effect: EU Commission considers TikTok feed to be harmful
The EU Commission has provisionally determined today that TikTok's recommendation system can harm users. The personalized feed shows people more and more of what seems to interest them -
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The EU Commission has provisionally determined today that TikTok's recommendation system can harm users. The personalized feed shows people more and more of what seems to interest them - even if it involves psychological problems. Brussels is therefore demanding fundamental changes.
For many, TikTok has an immense impact. This is because the platform's recommendation system quickly determines what content keeps someone on their screen and designs the so-called for-you feed accordingly. Today it hashttps://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/de/ip_26_2361">EU Com...provisionally determinedthat this very mechanism violates the European Digital Services Act (DSA).
The personalized feed also repeatedly shows users harmful content, such as self-harming behavior, losing weight or body image. The more a person interacts with a certain type of content, the more content of that type will appear in TikTok's feed. This could have negative consequences, as a spokesman for the Commission explained on Friday: stress, sadness, anxiety, low self-esteem, body dissatisfaction and the worsening of existing eating disorders or other psychological problems.
The EU Commission speaks of a rabbit hole effect. The pictorial expression comes from the children's bookAlice in Wonderland, in which protagonist Alice follows a rabbit andhttps://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/11/pg11-images.html#chap01">infalls into a fantastic world.
TikTok is supposed to do this differently
Brussels is now demanding that TikTok change the design of its For You feed in Europe. So far, the recommendations have been based, for example, on the views and playback time of videos. According to the EU Commission, in the future, TikTok will rely on users' explicit information about what type of content they want to see.
Options for controlling the feed should also be easier and more accessible. And TikTok should regularly test its recommendation systems. “We believe that TikTok needs to change its business model in Europe in order to comply with regulations and effectively protect our citizens,” said the Commission spokesman.
This is not the first time that the Commission has provisionally accused TikTok of violating the DSA. The Commission already criticized this in February as part of the ongoing DSA procedurehttps://netzpolitik.org/2026/digital-services-act-eu-kommission-will-tik...encouraging designthe platform and in July the defective onehttps://netzpolitik.org/2026/eu-kommission-tiktok-soll-teenager-konto-s...of minors.
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The goal is not punishment, but solution
In another procedure in October 2025, the Commission provisionally determined that, among other things, TikTokhttps://netzpolitik.org/2025/dsa-eu-kommission-bemaengelt-verstoesse-bei...for researchersdoesn't really work. Ahttps://germany.representation.ec.europa.eu/nachrichten-und-veranstaltun...for advertising transparencyHowever, it was concluded through binding commitments by TikTok in December 2025. Similar proceedings are ongoing against other platforms, such as Snapchat and the meta-platforms Instagram and Facebook.
The EU Commission emphasized that TikTok has been cooperative so far. As in previous cases, the agency's goal is to fix the problem, not impose a penalty. However, if TikTok does not offer sufficient changes, Brussels could impose a fine of up to six percent of annual global sales. Previous penalties have been significantly lower.
TikTok now has the right to defend itself. The DSA procedures do not have specific deadlines. At the same time, the...https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52026PC06...Actnegotiated, which the EU Commission presented in September and which is intended to impose new obligations on the platforms relating to the protection of minors and age controls. The EU Commission's draft of the Digital Fairness Act (DFA) is also due to appear next Wednesday.
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