Brussels criticizes TikTok for its addictive nature. A first step in the sanction has been taken against the Chinese platform against a backdrop of debates on the ban on social networks for young minors.
At the end of its investigation, the European Commission considers, this Friday, that TikTok violates the Digital Services Act (DSA) due to its addictive nature. Endless scrolling, automatic reading, intrusive notifications, hyper-personalized recommendation system: all the mechanisms that keep users glued to their screen are in Brussels’ sights.
“These features put users’ brains on autopilot”denounces the Commission in its preliminary conclusions. In short: TikTok would not have correctly assessed the risks to the mental and physical health of its users, in particular minors and vulnerable people. Indicators of compulsive use – time spent at night on the application, frequency of opening – would have been ignored by the platform. According to a Polish study, cited by the Commission, TikTok is the platform most used after midnight by 13-18 year olds.
The tools supposed to limit the damage are considered ineffective. Screen time controls are too easy to turn off. In particular, they can be bypassed with a simple predefined code “1, 2, 3, 4”, which is even mentioned in the pop-up informing users that they have reached their limits. Parental controls are too complicated to set up. For Brussels, the Chinese platform must thoroughly review its copy: gradually deactivate infinite scrolling, impose mandatory screen breaks, including at night, and adapt its recommendation algorithm.
The Chinese platform now has the right to contest the case before the Commission decides whether the grievances merit a fine of up to 6% of its annual global turnover (which has never happened before). Similar investigations are underway on Facebook and Instagram.
National initiatives that unbalance the DSA
Beyond the TikTok case, this decision comes in a context of growing concerns about the impact of social networks on young people. European capitals are multiplying solitary initiatives. Spain is considering a ban on under-16s with reinforced age verification. Denmark is preparing a plan for under-15s. Portugal is considering imposing parental consent up to the age of 16.
France has taken the lead. Emmanuel Macron has made banning social media for under-15s a top priority at the end of his mandate. The president announced on January 24 that he wanted to accelerate the legislative procedure so that the ban comes into force from September 2026. “The brains of our children and adolescents are not for sale”he warned, adding that cell phones will be banned in high schools.
The National Assembly adopted, at first reading, on January 26, the bill banning social networks for under 15s. The text, carried by Renaissance MP Laure Miller, benefited from an accelerated procedure. France would thus become the second country after Australia to adopt such restrictive legislation (Australia has set the bar at 16 years).
The government is aiming for widespread age verification on 1is January 2027 for accounts already opened. But the Council of State expressed reservations at the beginning of January, considering that France cannot force platforms established elsewhere in Europe to deploy these tools, this competence falling under the regulation on digital services.
European harmonization
This fragmentation of national initiatives worries Brussels and many MEPs. “Digital has no borders: if each country makes its own rules, the platforms will apply the least restrictivewarns MEP Stéphanie Yon-Courtin (Renaissance), on February 4 on Facebook. Twenty-five member states now support a harmonized European digital majority. The Commission has made it a strategic priority. Age verification must become mandatory across the EU. »
Without mentioning cases of suicide (the studies do not clearly decide between correlation and causation), social networks are more clearly responsible for attention disorders. A scientific study published on December 8, 2025 in the journal Pediatrics Open Science reinforces the arguments of those in favor of regulation. Researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and Oregon Health & Science University followed 8,324 American children aged 9 to 14 for four years.
Conclusion: only social networks – and not television or video games – cause a gradual decline in the ability to concentrate. “It is specifically social networks that affect children’s ability to concentrateexplains Professor Torkel Klingberg, neuroscientist and co-author of the study. Social media generates constant distractions via messages and notifications, and the mere idea that a message might have arrived acts as a mental distraction. »
2.5 hours of networking per day at 13 years old
The study shows that the time spent on platforms explodes with age: 30 minutes per day at 9 years old, 2 hours 30 minutes at 13 years old. The effect remains moderate on an individual scale, but becomes “significant on the scale of an entire generation”warn the researchers. Crucial fact: the association is influenced neither by socio-economic background nor by a genetic predisposition to ADHD (attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity in children), and the causal link goes from use to symptoms – and not the other way around.
This TikTok affair is part of a larger investigation opened in February 2024. The Commission is also examining the effect “rabbit hole” of the algorithm, which locks users in content bubbles, as well as the gaps in age control and insufficient protection of minors.
On advertising transparency, TikTok avoided the fine last December by making binding commitments: establishment of a complete register of advertisements updated within 24 hours, targeting criteria made public and improved search tools. A separate procedure, launched at the end of 2024, also examines the management of electoral risks and manipulation of public debate.
date: 2026-02-06 14:02:00