The EU’s preliminary finding says TikTok’s For You feed can keep serving similar videos.

What changed

On November 6, 2026, the European Commission preliminarily found TikTok in breach of the Digital Services Act for what it calls the “rabbit hole effect” of the For You recommender system. The finding is one step in a formal investigation. The press release says these preliminary findings do not prejudge the outcome.

The Commission’s account of the feed is specific. For You shows a continuous stream of personalised videos, including videos related to mental health struggles and body image. The more someone interacts with a type of content, the more the feed recommends similar content. The Commission says that design can be harmful when the repeated exposure is about sadness, isolation, or body image, and that these rabbit holes can hurt users’ mental health, especially vulnerable adults and minors.

On the risk assessment, the Commission preliminarily found that TikTok did not adequately assess how the recommendation algorithm may lead users into those rabbit holes. It says the algorithm uses engagement, such as watching and liking, to personalise what comes next. Its example: if someone repeatedly watches or likes content that may be triggering, such as weight-loss or body-image content, the system treats those interactions as interest and recommends more of the same. The Commission says repeated exposure may have serious effects on wellbeing, including increased feelings of sadness or anxiety, body dissatisfaction, lower self-esteem, or worsening of existing eating disorders and mental conditions. That is the Commission’s statement of the risk. This finding is not a new study that measured those effects in a group of children.

On the fixes already in the product, the Commission preliminarily concluded that TikTok failed to put in place mitigation measures that are proportionate, reasonable, and effective. It says TikTok already has some measures aimed at the rabbit hole effect, and that those measures are not effective. Measures that recommend a wider mix of content do not sufficiently reduce how often similar content is recommended, including mental-health and body-image content. The controls do not effectively let users control what is recommended. The example in the release: using the “not interested” button may not be enough to change the feed, because the algorithm prioritises content based on viewing time over a user’s choice to see less of certain content.

At this stage, the Commission says TikTok needs to change the design of For You. The examples it gives are to rely more on users’ explicit preferences, disable viewing time as an indicator for recommendations, make the controls easier to find and use, and test the algorithm regularly.

TikTok can now examine the investigation file and reply in writing. The European Board for Digital Services will be consulted. If the Commission’s view is confirmed, it may issue a non-compliance decision and a fine of up to 6% of the provider’s total worldwide annual turnover. Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen said the preliminary findings show again that TikTok needs to step up its efforts to protect users’ well-being, including those of minors. The release also notes earlier preliminary findings in the same proceedings, on addictive design in February 2026 and on protection of minors in July 2026. It does not describe those earlier findings.

This is an EU investigation under the Digital Services Act. It is not a change to a menu in the app, and it is not the California rule on feeds and autoplay. That statute is a different law, aimed at users under 16 who live in California, and it is not a setting you can turn on.

What you can do

You cannot complete the Commission’s design changes from your phone. You can stop treating a single button, or an open-ended session, as the whole plan.

• Do not assume “not interested” resets the feed. The Commission’s example is that the button may not be enough, because viewing time is prioritised over the choice to see less of a topic. If the same kind of video keeps appearing, that matches the pattern the Commission describes. It is not proof the button did nothing in your child’s case, and it is not a reason to skip the button. It is a reason not to rely on it alone.
• Treat time in the app as part of what the feed learns from. The Commission says watching and liking are read as interest. A schedule still limits how long that can go on, even though it does not redesign For You. Apple’s time controls are one way to cap when the app is available on an iPhone or iPad.
• Ask what keeps coming back. The Commission names sadness, isolation, and body image as the kind of repetition that can be harmful, and weight-loss and body-image videos as an example of content the system can treat as interest. A time limit will not tell you which of those is on the screen. The habit of asking what they are watching, and whether stopping is hard, still does that job. A family agreement can say what happens when the session was supposed to end.

Sources

• Commission press release IP/26/2361European Commission, Brussels, November 6, 2026. The preliminary breach finding, the feed description, “not interested” and viewing time, the design changes the Commission says it wants, the right of reply, the possible fine, and Virkkunen’s statement.
• Commission news page for the same findingEuropean Commission, published November 6, 2026. The short public summary. The PDF is the full release.