The European Union has formally instructed TikTok to modify the algorithm that powers its notorious For You feed. In a statement released on Friday, the European Commission claimed the platform’s recommendation system drives users into what officials describe as “rabbit-hole” trajectories that are difficult to escape. The move is framed as enforcement of the Digital Services Act (DSA), a piece of legislation aimed at curbing the spread of illegal or harmful content online and protecting vulnerable users.
Commission executive vice-president Henna Virkkunen, who oversees tech sovereignty, warned that each swipe or like on TikTok triggers the algorithm to surface more of the same type of material, creating an “endless” cascade of videos dealing with sadness, isolation or body-image issues. The Commission’s preliminary findings stress that this dynamic endangers the well-being of minors and other at-risk groups, and that the platform’s current mitigations are insufficient to meet DSA obligations.
EU’s formal demand under the Digital Services Act
Under the DSA, the Commission may levy fines of up to 6 % of a company’s global turnover if it fails to comply with corrective orders. In TikTok’s case, the EU warned that penalties could rise sharply unless the service revamps its recommendation logic within the stipulated deadline. The order follows earlier EU investigations that, in February, criticised TikTok for not adequately assessing how addictive features such as push notifications could harm physical and mental health. A July probe added that children were being exposed to cyber-bullying, predatory behaviour, and content that could exacerbate eating disorders.
The Commission’s stance mirrors actions taken against other major platforms. In the same month, regulators demanded that Meta alter the feeds of Facebook and Instagram after finding similar breaches of the DSA. National governments across Europe – notably France, Spain and the United Kingdom – have also pursued legislation to restrict minors’ access to social-media services, reflecting a broader regional push to rein in algorithm-driven harms.
How TikTok’s ‘For You’ feed traps users in ‘rabbit holes’
The For You feed is generated by a machine-learning model that evaluates a user’s interaction history – likes, watches, re-shares – and then surfaces videos deemed most likely to keep the viewer engaged. Critics argue that the system rewards emotionally charged or sensational content because such material generates higher click-through rates, thereby reinforcing a self-perpetuating loop. When a teenager repeatedly watches a video about anxiety, the algorithm increasingly serves related clips, gradually narrowing the diversity of the feed and deepening exposure to distressing narratives.
Amnesty International’s 2025 report, titled “Dragged into the Rabbit Hole”, documented numerous cases in France where the feed steered young users toward depressive and self-harm content, sometimes culminating in suicidal ideation. The organization’s researcher Lisa Dittmer described the phenomenon as a “business model built on the exploitation of attention and vulnerabilities”. According to the report, teenagers and bereaved parents recounted how the platform normalized mental-health struggles, turning occasional curiosity into a chronic exposure cycle.
Responses from TikTok, human-rights groups and member states
TikTok rejected the EU’s conclusions, calling them “fundamentally inaccurate” and asserting that the company already provides users with “direct and intuitive control over their content experience”. A spokesperson highlighted recent internal changes aimed at risk mitigation, though the Commission maintains that those steps fall short of DSA requirements.
Human-rights advocates echoed the Commission’s concerns. Dittmer of Amnesty International urged policymakers to adopt “binding standards for platform design” that would shift the burden of proof onto companies, ensuring that addictive or toxic feeds are eliminated by law rather than voluntary good-will. The researcher emphasized that the EU’s preliminary finding validates years of evidence linking TikTok’s recommendation engine to deteriorating mental health among youths.
Member states that have already introduced age-based bans or stricter consent mechanisms are watching the Legal battle closely. If TikTok fails to comply, the Commission plans to issue a final decision and impose fines that could amount to billions of euros, reflecting the platform’s global revenue scale. The company will have an opportunity to submit a detailed response before any penalty is levied.
