TikTok: EU Commission Orders Changes to “Harmful” Algorithm

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents TikTok: EU Commission Orders Changes to “Harmful” Algorithm.

The EU Commission called on TikTok on Friday to make fundamental changes to how its app works. According to preliminary findings, the algorithm can lead particularly vulnerable users into so-called rabbit holes: They repeatedly see personalized videos, become increasingly immersed in a topic and find it difficult to emerge again. The authority sees this as a risk to mental health. TikTok must therefore not only remove individual videos or content but also overhaul the “For You” page and its recommendation logic.

This is directly relevant to you because the Commission is looking beyond individual problematic clips. It is challenging the mechanism TikTok uses to decide which videos are displayed to you particularly quickly. If you have mainly used the app through this personalized home page, you have experienced exactly the function that, according to the preliminary findings, must be changed.

Why the “For You” Page Is at the Center of the Proceedings

At the center is the “For You Page,” or FYP. It is designed to display content that interests users particularly quickly. According to the Commission, TikTok interprets the watch time and likes on video clips as signs of interest and then serves more similar content, including extreme videos in some cases.

According to the authority, this cycle can become harmful. If the same topics keep appearing, it can create a feeling of being stuck. The Commission identifies possible consequences including intensified sadness, anxiety disorders, dissatisfaction with one’s own body and lower self-esteem. For people with existing problems, this could worsen eating disorders and mental illnesses.

One important qualification: The Commission is describing a risk posed by how the app works, not an automatic onset of an illness for every user. The allegations are based on preliminary findings. TikTok is therefore under concrete pressure to act, even though the final conclusion of the proceedings has not yet been described.

The Order Targets the Existing Recommendation Logic

The Commission has instructed TikTok to fundamentally change how the FYP works. The algorithm must no longer be based on how long users watch a video. Instead, users should have more control and be able to define more strongly for themselves what they see on TikTok.

The authority considers the measures taken so far insufficient. TikTok had already introduced changes in July and in February this year. Users can remove videos from the home page through the “Not interested” option. However, the Commission believes this has little effect on the algorithm. The requirement therefore goes beyond individual filtering options: Users’ attention should no longer serve as the central signal for distributing further videos.

Up to Six Percent of Global Annual Revenue

If TikTok fails to comply with the instruction, the EU Commission says it faces a hefty fine of up to six percent of its global annual revenue. The source does not provide either a specific euro amount or a fixed date for a decision. The scale of the risk is nevertheless clear: This is not about making a symbolic correction to individual videos.

The Commission bases its order on the Digital Services Act (DSA). The DSA requires large online platforms to do more to address harmful and illegal content on their platforms. TikTok will therefore not be judged solely on individual posts. The authority is examining whether the recommendation system itself contributes to users becoming trapped in problematic content loops.

The ongoing investigation also goes beyond the current point of dispute. As early as February, the EU Commission accused TikTok of employing addictive design, doing too little to protect minors and making it harder for researchers to access public data. At the time, TikTok described these preliminary findings as “categorically false” and announced that it would appeal them. The platform’s treatment was already the subject of formal proceedings at the time; the current focus on the FYP adds further, concrete requirements concerning the app’s design.

For you, the key consequence remains tangible: The Commission wants to change the recommendations on the “For You” page so that your viewing time no longer automatically determines the next wave of similar videos. TikTok therefore not only has to make the function safer but rebuild its central logic. Whether and when this will happen remains unclear. What is already clear is that the consequences for your use do not depend solely on the content of individual videos, but also on how TikTok continues to use your reactions to them.