EU Commission presses TikTok over For You feed algorithm

Henna Virkkunen says TikTok must do more to protect users, including minors, and that its algorithm leads users down rabbit holes.

What happened

Henna Virkkunen, the EU Commission's executive, said TikTok needs to step up efforts to protect users' wellbeing, including minors ¹. She also said the platform's algorithm leads users down rabbit holes they cannot easily escape from ².

According to Al Jazeera, Brussels accused TikTok on Friday of violating the EU's Digital Services Act over the harmful rabbit holes effect, by feeding users similar video clips based on what they had previously viewed ³. The same outlet reported that the European Union ordered TikTok to change the algorithm powering its For You feed, threatening large fines ⁴.

What is confirmed

Two claims are confirmed in the ledger, both statements attributed to Virkkunen. She said TikTok needs to step up its efforts to protect users' wellbeing, including those of minors ¹. She also said that every time a user scrolls or likes a video, the algorithm serves more of the same, leading users down rabbit holes they cannot easily escape from ².

The confirmed record therefore establishes the substance of the Commission's public criticism. It does not, on its own, establish the legal finding, the proposed remedy or the penalty.

Where the accounts differ

The contested ground is the finding itself and TikTok's response. Al Jazeera reported that TikTok rejected the EU's findings, saying they are fundamentally inaccurate and distort the platform's architecture and its commitment to user safety ⁵. That denial appears in the ledger only through Al Jazeera's account.

The outlets also frame the story differently. Al Jazeera's reporting centres on the order to change the For You feed and the threat of large fines ⁴, alongside earlier EU steps against TikTok ⁶⁷. The Guardian frames the action as the Commission charging TikTok with failing to protect users' mental health ⁸, and notes the wider investigation launched in February 2024 under the Digital Services Act ⁹. The Verge frames it as the Commission claiming TikTok broke online platform rules with a recommendation algorithm that creates a rabbit hole effect ¹⁰, and reports that this is the first time the Commission has cited a recommendation algorithm as the reason for a breach ¹¹.

What is not known yet

Several elements rest on single outlets. The Commission's preliminary findings that TikTok's controls are not effective were reported only by The Verge ¹². The allegation of harm through endless and repeated exposure to content about sadness, isolation or body image was reported only by The Verge ¹³. The claim that TikTok must change the design of its For You feed or face fines of up to 6 percent of global annual turnover was reported only by The Verge ¹⁴.

The Guardian alone reported that TikTok could be fined up to 6% of its global worldwide turnover if EU officials uphold the finding ¹⁵, that the investigation was launched in February 2024 ⁹, and that officials said clicking not interested on a video about eating patterns still led the algorithm to offer similar diet and body image content ¹⁶. The Guardian also alone reported that TikTok has 189 million users in the EU ¹⁷.

Al Jazeera alone reported the July accusation over cyberbullying and predatory behaviour ⁶, the February finding on addictive features ⁷, the possible increase in fines of up to 6 percent ¹⁸, and the July order to Meta over Facebook and Instagram feeds ¹⁹. The Verge alone reported that the Commission has targeted X, Meta, Temu and AliExpress ²⁰.

Open questions the ledger leaves: whether the finding is preliminary or final, what specific design changes are required, and how TikTok will respond beyond its reported rejection.

Why it matters

This suggests the Commission is testing whether platform design itself, not only content moderation, falls within the Digital Services Act. If confirmed, a finding built on a recommendation algorithm would extend the reach of the rules to the mechanics of the feed ¹¹¹⁰.

Analysis: the penalty figures reported by The Verge and The Guardian point to significant financial exposure for TikTok if the finding is upheld ¹⁴¹⁵. The reported comparison with Meta indicates the Commission is applying the same framework across large platforms ¹⁹. The reported scale of TikTok's EU user base indicates why regulators treat the feed as a public-interest question ¹⁷.

Opinion

Faultline's view

the confirmed record here is narrower than the headlines suggest. What is established is that a senior Commission official said TikTok must do more for users' wellbeing and that its algorithm leads people down rabbit holes. The legal finding, the remedy and the penalty rest on single-outlet reporting, and TikTok's denial reaches the record only through one outlet. Western coverage leans toward the regulator's framing, presenting a preliminary case as a settled charge. That is a familiar pattern: enforcement language travels faster than the evidence behind it. The Commission may well have a case, but readers should note how much of this story depends on unnamed officials and single sources, and how little room the coverage gives to the platform's own account. Scepticism should apply to Brussels as readily as to the platforms it regulates.

This section is Faultline’s opinion, argued only from the receipts above. It is not part of the factual record and cites nothing new.