Web Desk(National Times)- European Union\u2019s (EU) tech regulators charged social media platform TikTok on Friday with breaching the bloc\u2019s online content rules, telling it to fix the so-called \u201crabbit hole\u201d effect of its recommender system, which attracts users\u2019 attention to a constant stream of similar videos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TikTok\u2019s Chinese owner ByteDance risks a fine next year of up to six per cent of its global annual turnover unless it can resolve the issue, the regulators said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Social media companies are under pressure to modify their algorithms amid growing concerns worldwide that their platforms are contributing to a mental health crisis among children, prompting some governments to impose or consider bans for underage users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The European Commission, which acts as the EU tech regulator, said it issued charges known as preliminary findings to TikTok after the company failed to implement proportionate, reasonable and effective mitigation measures to address the risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe more a user interacts with a certain type of content, the more TikTok\u2019s \u2018For You\u2019 feed algorithm recommends similar content. This design can be harmful when such endless and repeated exposure involves, for example, content about sadness, isolation or body image,\u201d the European Commission said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEvery 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,\u201d EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cToday\u2019s preliminary findings show again that TikTok needs to step up its efforts to protect users\u2019 well-being, including those of minors,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TikTok rejected the accusations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe commission has made a series of statements that are fundamentally inaccurate and distort our platform\u2019s architecture and our commitment to user safety,\u201d the company said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have a strong record of protecting our community while giving users direct and intuitive control over their content experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The commission said TikTok needs to change its business model in Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It said the platform should change the design of its \u2018For You\u2019 feed algorithm and should rely more on users\u2019 explicit preferences, increase the accessibility and usability of user controls and regularly test its algorithm, among other changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even when users tell TikTok they do not like certain content, the platform\u2019s algorithm continues to suggest similar videos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TikTok has made some tweaks to mitigate the risks but they were not effective, the EU said, demanding more radical design changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The commission gave examples of changes the platform could make, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
rely more on users\u2019 explicit preferences, because the EU found that the app\u2019s \u201cnot interested\u201d button \u201cmay not be enough to change the content feed\u201d
disable viewing time as an indicator to recommend content
increase the accessibility and ease of use of user controls,
and regularly test its algorithm.
Broader investigation into TikTok
The EU has ramped up its efforts to protect children, launching investigations into the world\u2019s most popular platforms under the Digital Services Act \u2014 part of the bloc\u2019s legal armoury targeting digital giants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brussels plans to add to this by forcing social media companies to make platforms safe before children use them, as part of plans to ban children under 13 from social media, and permit only limited, supervised access until the age of 15.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The latest charges are part of a broader EU investigation into TikTok.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
EU regulators charged TikTok in February over what regulators said were the platform\u2019s addictive designs, inadequate efforts to protect children and making it difficult for researchers to request access to public data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TikTok said at the time that those preliminary findings were \u201ccategorically false\u201d and it would take steps to challenge them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A senior EU official said the February findings on TikTok focused on features like notifications, whereas Friday\u2019s view was about the algorithm itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TikTok is popular because of that algorithm, say observers, and the official admitted the EU was targeting its engagement-based business model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In its preliminary findings, the EU said TikTok did not \u201cadequately assess\u201d how its recommendation algorithm put users\u2019 wellbeing at risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The EU worried that repeated exposure to certain content could lead to \u201cincreased feelings of sadness or anxiety, body dissatisfaction, lower self-esteem, or worsening of existing eating disorders\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The commission is separately investigating so-called rabbit hole effects caused by Meta Platforms\u2019 Facebook and Instagram recommendation systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brussels told Meta in July to change the \u201caddictive design\u201d of Facebook and Instagram in an investigation started under the DSA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TikTok and Meta are subject to similar scrutiny around the world, especially in the United States where there have been claims lodged with the courts over the dangers the platforms pose to young people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TikTok in September avoided a trial after agreeing to pay Alabama at least $100 million and enact time limits and other restrictions for teenage users.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Web Desk(National Times)- European Union\u2019s (EU) tech regulators charged social media platform TikTok on Friday with breaching the bloc\u2019s online content rules, telling it to fix the so-called \u201crabbit hole\u201d effect of its recommender system, which attracts users\u2019 attention to a constant stream of similar videos. TikTok\u2019s Chinese owner ByteDance risks a fine next year […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":136015,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-136014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest_news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n