European Commission preliminarily finds TikTok’s recommendation feed in breach of the DSA
The European Commission has raised concerns that TikTok’s ‘For You’ feed may expose users, particularly minors, to harmful recommendation patterns. If the preliminary findings are confirmed, the platform could face a fine of up to 6% of its total worldwide annual turnover.
The European Commission has preliminarily found that TikTok’s ‘For You’ recommendation feed breaches the EU Digital Services Act (DSA), citing concerns about the platform’s role in repeatedly recommending similar content to users.
Published on 6 November 2026, the preliminary findings focus on what the Commission describes as the ‘rabbit hole effect’. The term refers to a pattern in which users’ interactions with particular videos lead the algorithm to recommend increasingly similar content. According to the Commission, this may expose users repeatedly to videos about sadness, isolation and body image, with potential consequences for mental health, particularly among minors and vulnerable adults.
The Commission has also questioned whether TikTok adequately assesses these risks and whether its existing safeguards give users sufficient control over their feeds. It considers that measures intended to diversify recommendations are not effective enough, while the ‘not interested’ button may have limited influence over the content users subsequently see. The Commission argues that the algorithm’s reliance on viewing time may give greater weight to engagement than to users’ stated preferences.
To address these concerns, the Commission has suggested changes to the design of the ‘For You’ feed. These include giving greater weight to users’ explicit preferences, disabling viewing time as a recommendation signal, making user controls more accessible and easier to use, and regularly testing the recommendation algorithm.
The preliminary assessment forms part of the Commission’s wider investigation into TikTok’s compliance with the DSA. It does not constitute a final decision. TikTok will have the opportunity to examine the investigation documents and respond in writing, while the European Board for Digital Services will also be consulted.
If the findings are confirmed, the Commission could issue a non-compliance decision and impose a fine of up to 6% of TikTok’s total worldwide annual turnover.
