The European Commission has come to the conclusion, two years after starting its investigation, that the social network of short videos TikTok of minors with its design and its algorithms. So the next step it demands are major modifications: “TikTok has to change the design of its services to protect our minors and their well-being,” explains the vice president of the EU Executive, Henna Virkkunen, in a meeting with EL PAÍS and other European media. The problems encountered by the Brussels technicians are found in their scroll infinite that allows you to watch endless videos that are launched automatically, the highly personalized recommendation system or the alerts sent to users.
which have announced measures that tighten control over digital platforms, the Commission makes public the preliminary conclusions of the investigation launched in February 2024: “TikTok has not adequately evaluated how these addictive features [en referencia a esas opciones] “they can harm the physical and mental well-being of its users, including minors and vulnerable adults,” it explains in the statement about the decision announced this Friday.
“Al reward constantly providing users with new content, certain design features of TikTok fuel the need to keep scrolling and make users’ brains go into a autopilot mode. Scientific research shows that this can lead to compulsive behavior and reduce users’ self-control,” the Commission develops when giving details about the file that is based on the digital services regulation (DSA). This is the most attacked European standard since the Trump Administration and the large American technology companies, with the argument that it is an attack on freedom of expression and punishes North American companies. TikTok is owned by the Chinese company Bytedance.
Virkkunen explains that the practices of this platform have “the main objective of maintaining the user all the time. This is very harmful.” “So after publishing these preliminary results, we hope that TikTok will take action on this,” he adds. This social network was the first on which Brussels deployed the tools allowed by the DSA. More than a year ago, the Chinese company launched a remuneration service, , for viewing videos in France and Spain and backed down after the European Commission warned that it was breaking the law.
Going further, not only about this step, but about the announcements that several EU governments have made to increase control over digital platforms and their negative consequences on minors, among them Spanish, the Finnish politician has stated: “It is a very widespread opinion among our Member States that platforms are not doing enough to protect our minors. And not only [pasa] in Europe, also in the rest of the world.”
