TikTok: Brussels challenges recommendation loops

Brussels has preliminarily found that TikTok’s ‘For You’ feed does not sufficiently assess or reduce the risks of repetitive recommendations. The proceedings are ongoing.

A ‘For You’ feed can change subject without the user asking it to: watching or liking a few videos is enough to influence what is recommended next. On 6 November 2026, the European Commission preliminarily found that the design of TikTok’s feed could expose some users to repeated sequences of sensitive content, and that the platform had not sufficiently assessed or mitigated this risk.

The issue, then, is not just the videos being posted, but how a platform selects them and puts them back into circulation. The proceedings are not over: TikTok can respond to the findings, which are neither a final decision nor an imposed fine.

When a recommendation becomes a loop

The ‘For You’ feed presents a personalised stream. According to the Commission, the more a person interacts with a type of content, the more the algorithm tends to recommend similar content. An interaction can be a view or a ‘Like’; repeated signals of this kind can lead the system to gradually narrow the topics it suggests.

The Commission uses the image of a ‘rabbit hole’ to describe this mechanism: not a single video, but a succession of recommendations that lead the user back to similar themes. The institution cites, in particular, content associated with sadness, isolation or body image. It considers that repeated exposure to such content may be harmful, especially for minors and vulnerable adults.

This wording concerns a design risk and how the platform is alleged to have assessed it. It does not mean that everyone watching these videos will experience a particular effect, nor that the Commission has established a clinical diagnosis or individual causation. Its examination concerns recommendation choices and the measures intended to reduce risks across the service.

The disagreement also concerns safeguards

In its preliminary findings, the Commission challenges two aspects: TikTok’s risk assessment and the effectiveness of its mitigation measures. On the first, it considers that the platform did not sufficiently take into account how the feed’s features could encourage repeated use. On the second, it finds that the measures introduced do not sufficiently reduce the risk of content related to distress or body image recurring again and again.

The distinction matters. A control may be available in the settings without being enough to correct how the feed works overall. Conversely, the existence of personalised recommendations does not, by itself, establish an infringement. The regulatory question is whether the assessment and safeguards address the risks that the platform must take into account under the Digital Services Act, the DSA.

The information published by the Commission describes proceedings focused on the service’s design and its possible consequences. It does not yet settle the debate over the mechanism’s precise scope or TikTok’s eventual response. The findings of 6 November are explicitly preliminary.

What Brussels is asking to be reviewed

The Commission considers that TikTok should change the design of its ‘For You’ feed. The options it highlights include better consideration of users’ stated preferences, more accessible settings and regular testing of the algorithm. It also criticises the weight given to behavioural signals, such as the time spent watching a video, compared with declared preferences.

This contrast between signals is worth understanding in simple terms. Watch time tells the system what the person actually watched; a declared preference expresses what they want to see. These two indications can diverge. The Commission considers that explicit choices should carry more weight in preventing loops, rather than allowing viewing behaviour to guide recommendations primarily.

At this stage, this is not a change that has already been imposed and rolled out. The request forms part of proceedings in which TikTok must be able to consult the file and submit its observations. The Commission must then assess the defence evidence and continue its examination before reaching any final conclusion.

European proceedings still ongoing

The investigation into the design of the ‘For You’ feed was opened in February 2024 under the DSA. Coimisiún na Meán, the Irish media regulator, took part in the work, as TikTok has established its European headquarters in Ireland. The preliminary findings announced in November 2026 are one stage in these proceedings, not their conclusion.

TikTok can respond in writing and consult the investigation file. The European Board for Digital Services, which brings together national regulators, must also be consulted. If the Commission ultimately confirmed an infringement, the DSA would allow for a fine of up to 6% of the company’s worldwide annual turnover. This possible maximum is neither a decided penalty nor an estimate of the fine that would be imposed.

For users, the case raises a practical question: can an individual setting really take back control when recommendations continue to learn from viewing behaviour? At this stage, Brussels is challenging the adequacy of TikTok’s safeguards; a final decision is still to come.