EU charges TikTok over alleged failures to protect users’ mental health

The European Commission has charged TikTok with failing to protect users’ mental health in the European Union, according to findings reported on 6 November 2026. The regulator says the platform’s personalised recommendations can draw young and vulnerable users into repetitive streams of potentially harmful material. TikTok rejects the preliminary findings.¹²

Repetition at the centre of the case

The Commission’s concern centres on how TikTok’s For You feed responds to engagement with a particular subject by recommending more videos like it. According to Euronews, officials say that process can expose children and vulnerable users to increasingly harmful material, including repeated content about sadness, isolation and body image.²

The Guardian reports that the case concerns the cumulative effect of watching many videos on the same theme, even when those videos are legally permissible. The Commission alleges that TikTok failed to prevent this repetition and that its safeguards did not sufficiently address the resulting risks to mental health.¹

Henna Virkkunen, the Commission’s lead official on technology policy, said TikTok’s algorithm “can be harmful”. She said: “TikTok needs to step up its efforts to protect users’ wellbeing, including those of minors.”¹

Changes sought to recommendations

The Commission acknowledged that TikTok had introduced measures to address the risks but judged them insufficient, Euronews reports. Officials said recommendations could continue to show similar videos even after users signalled that they were not interested, raising concerns about whether the platform’s existing controls meaningfully alter what people see.²

According to Euronews, the Commission recommended giving users’ stated preferences greater influence over recommendations. It further called on TikTok to exclude watch duration as a factor in its recommendations, make its controls easier to use and conduct regular algorithm testing. The regulator warned that the feed’s design must change or the company could face fines.²

TikTok disputes the assessment

TikTok says the findings misrepresent both the operation of its platform and its measures to protect users. The company said it would challenge the assessment, according to the Guardian. Its response disputes the regulator’s account rather than accepting that its recommendation system provides inadequate protection.¹²

According to the Guardian, the Commission opened its inquiry using powers provided by the Digital Services Act in February 2024. The newspaper describes the law as requiring large internet companies to address harms including disinformation and damage to mental health. Euronews also reports separate preliminary accusations concerning addictive design and protection of children’s privacy.¹²

TikTok has an opportunity to review the investigation file and defend its position, according to the Guardian. The newspaper reports that changes to its recommendation system could avert a fine; if officials uphold the finding, the potential penalty could reach 6% of the company’s worldwide turnover.¹