TikTok’s ‘For You’ feed may breach EU internet rules for the so-called ‘rabbit hole effect’ of its recommender system, according to preliminary findings by the European Commission.
A Commission probe into whether TikTok is breaching the Digital Services Act (DSA) finds that its ‘For You’ feed shows users a continuous stream of personalised videos, even when those are related to mental health struggles and body image.
The more a user interacts with a certain type of content, the more TikTok’s ‘For You’ feed algorithm recommends similar content. This design can be harmful, according to the EU executive, when such endless and repeated exposure involves, for example, content about sadness, isolation or body image. These ‘rabbit holes’ can have a detrimental impact on users’ mental health, especially that of vulnerable adults and minors.
The preliminary findings focus on both risk assessment and mitigation measures.
On risk assessment, the Commission found that TikTok did not adequately assess how its recommendation algorithm may lead users into such ‘rabbit holes’, putting their wellbeing at risk. The preliminary findings show that the algorithm design may play an important role in the emergence of ‘rabbit holes’. The algorithm uses information about user engagement, such as watching and liking videos, to personalise the content recommended to them.
For example, when a user repeatedly watches or likes content that may be triggering, such as content about weight-loss or body image, the system interprets these interactions as positive signs of interest and recommends more of the same.
Repeated exposure to such content may have serious negative effects on users’ wellbeing, including increased feelings of sadness or anxiety, body dissatisfaction, lower self-esteem, or worsening of existing eating disorders and mental conditions.
Regarding risk mitigation measures, the findings also preliminarily conclude that TikTok failed to implement proportionate, reasonable and effective mitigation measures to address these risks.
While TikTok has already put in place certain measures to mitigate the risk of the ‘rabbit hole effect’, the Commission has preliminarily found that these measures are not effective.
Measures to recommend diversified content do not sufficiently reduce how often similar content is recommended, including content related to mental health struggles and body image.
The control tools do not effectively enable users to control the content recommended to them, says the Commission. For example, using the ‘not interested’ button may not be enough to change the content feed. The algorithm prioritises showing users content based on viewing time, over their choice to see less of certain content.
At this stage of the investigation, the Commission considers that TikTok needs to change the design of the ‘For You’ feed. For example, TikTok should rely more on users’ explicit preferences, disable viewing time as an indicator to recommend content, increase the accessibility and usability of user controls, and regularly test its algorithm.
The Commission’s preliminary findings are part of its formal proceedings to investigate TikTok‘s compliance with the Digital Services Act.
