TikTok's 'addictive design' found to be illegal in Europe
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European Union regulators have preliminarily ruled that TikTok's design, specifically its infinite scroll and personalized algorithm, is "addictive" and violates EU online safety laws, potentially harming users' mental and physical well-being, especially children. TikTok disputes the findings and plans to challenge them, but the ruling could force the company to overhaul its core features or face significant fines. This marks the first time a legal standard for social media addictiveness has been applied globally.
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European Union regulators said the appâs infinite scroll and personalized algorithm led to âcompulsiveâ behavior, especially among children.
TikTok and other social media companies are under mounting pressure globally for hooking young users.Credit...Patrick T. Fallon/Agence France-Presse â Getty Images
Feb. 6, 2026Updated 2:08 p.m. ET
TikTokâs endless scroll of irresistible content, tailored for each personâs tastes by a well-honed algorithm, has helped the service become one of the worldâs most popular apps.
Now European Union regulators say those same features that made TikTok so successful are most likely illegal.
On Friday, the regulators released a preliminary decision that TikTokâs infinite scroll, auto-play features and recommendation algorithm amount to an âaddictive designâ that violates European Union laws for online safety. The service poses potential harm to the âphysical and mental well-beingâ of users, including minors and vulnerable adults, the European Commission, the 27-nation blocâs 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.
âTikTok needs to change the basic design of its service,â the European Commission said in a statement.
TikTok said it planned to challenge the findings âthrough every means available to us.â
âThe commissionâs preliminary findings present a categorically false and entirely meritless depiction of our platform,â the company said in a statement.
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