The European Commission has charged TikTok with failing to protect users' mental health by exposing them to relentless streams of content that can worsen eating disorders and anxiety. In a preliminary ruling issued on Friday, the EU regulator said the algorithm "can be harmful" and was leading young and vulnerable users "down rabbit holes they cannot easily escape from". The Chinese-owned platform has 189 million users in the EU.
The investigation found that TikTok failed to prevent users from being served repetitive content on themes including body image and isolation, which can lead to anxiety, sadness and worsen existing eating disorders or mental health problems. The regulator's examination focused on legal content where a single video might not be problematic, but the cumulative effect of watching numerous videos on one theme could damage users' mental health. Officials identified that TikTok's safeguards to mitigate "rabbit-hole effects" were ineffective. For example, if a user clicked "not interested" on a video about eating patterns, the algorithm would still offer similar content on diet and body image.
Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission's lead official on tech policy, said: "Every time a user scrolls or likes a video on TikTok, the algorithm serves more of the same leading users down rabbit holes they cannot easily escape from. TikTok needs to step up its efforts to protect users' wellbeing, including those of minors." TikTok responded by stating that the commission's claims were "fundamentally inaccurate" and distorted the platform's architecture. The company said more than 79 million users in the EU used its "not interested" or keyword filters to screen out unwanted content in the first six months of 2026.
The Molly Rose Foundation, established in memory of 14-year-old Molly Russell who died in 2017 after being exposed to harmful online content, welcomed the commission's findings as a landmark step "to seek to hold TikTok to account for the way their algorithm drives young people down rabbit holes of despair". A survey conducted for the charity found that nearly half of girls and a third of all UK teenagers saw suicide, self-harm and eating-disorder content on social media within a week.
The case strikes at TikTok's business model, which relies on keeping users scrolling as long as possible. The investigation is part of a broader examination launched in February 2024 under the Digital Services Act, which requires large internet companies to prevent various harms including disinformation and mental health damage. If the commission upholds its finding, TikTok could face a fine of up to 6 per cent of its global worldwide turnover. The company now has an opportunity to examine the investigation file and mount a defence, or it could agree to change its recommender system to avoid penalties.
For UK users, the charges mean regulators are intensifying scrutiny of how social media platforms design features that keep people engaged, which could affect how they experience the app if TikTok is required to change its recommendation system.