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EU Charges TikTok Over Addictive App Design Under DSA

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The European Union has charged TikTok with breaching online content rules, accusing the app of using addictive design features that could harm users, particularly minors. The move follows a year-long probe by the European Commission under the Digital Services Act, which empowers regulators to demand changes or impose fines of up to 6% of a company’s global turnover.

Regulators cited features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, and highly personalized recommendations as mechanisms that encourage compulsive use. The Commission said TikTok failed to adequately assess risks to users’ physical and mental wellbeing and did not implement sufficient safeguards, including effective screen-time controls and parental tools.

TikTok rejected the allegations, calling the preliminary findings false and saying it would challenge them. EU officials said the platform may be required to redesign core elements in Europe, including disabling infinite scroll over time, adding meaningful breaks—especially at night—and adapting its recommender system.

The action underscores the EU’s broader crackdown on Big Tech, with similar DSA charges previously brought against Meta Platforms’ Facebook and Instagram over deceptive interface designs. Regulators are also scrutinizing age-verification systems at Snapchat, YouTube, Apple, and Google as governments debate tougher limits on teen access to social media.

Apple Ads and Apple Maps not designated under EU Digital Markets Act

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The European Commission said on Thursday that Apple’s advertising and mapping services will not be designated as gatekeepers under the European Union’s Digital Markets Act, citing their relatively low usage and limited market impact across Europe.

In a statement, the Commission said it had concluded that Apple does not meet the criteria for gatekeeper status in relation to Apple Ads and Apple Maps. Regulators said neither service acts as an important gateway for business users seeking to reach end users in the European market.

“These platform services do not constitute an important gateway for business users to reach end users,” the Commission said, explaining that the DMA designation is reserved for services with significant scale, entrenched market positions and a strong ability to influence competition.

Apple welcomed the decision, saying its services face robust competition in Europe. “These services face significant competition in Europe, and we’re pleased the Commission recognized they do not meet the criteria for designation under the Digital Markets Act,” the company said in a statement.

The DMA is one of the world’s most far-reaching regulatory frameworks aimed at curbing the market power of major technology companies. It imposes strict obligations on so-called gatekeepers to prevent anti-competitive practices and to make it easier for users and businesses to switch between rival services, including social networks, web browsers and app stores.

Apple is already subject to DMA obligations for other parts of its ecosystem, including its App Store and mobile operating system. Thursday’s decision narrows the scope of additional regulatory requirements the company will face in Europe, at a time when Big Tech firms remain under intense scrutiny from EU competition authorities.

TikTok cooperates closely with EU probe into Romania election interference

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TikTok is being “extremely cooperative” with the European Commission’s investigation into potential interference in Romania’s 2024 presidential election, a Commission spokesperson said. The probe focuses on whether the platform failed to adequately limit election-related risks under EU digital rules.

European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said TikTok had engaged constructively with regulators and had already implemented several measures. He added that the Commission welcomes cooperation from platforms and is open to dialogue when companies show willingness to comply.

The investigation was formally launched in December 2024, when the European Commission opened proceedings over concerns that TikTok may not have done enough to curb election interference during the Romanian vote. The case forms part of broader EU scrutiny of how social media platforms handle political content and safeguard democratic processes.