The European Commission is expanding Digital Services Act enforcement into the architecture of major social platforms. Its preliminary findings on TikTok, followed by a similar preliminary assessment involving Instagram and Facebook, put infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications and personalised recommendation systems at the centre of a new compliance question: whether platforms have done enough to reduce risks of compulsive use, particularly for minors and vulnerable users.
The shift matters because it moves DSA scrutiny beyond harmful content, advertising transparency and moderation processes. Product design itself is becoming an enforcement concern. For developers, product leaders and enterprise governance teams, the emerging standard is clear: engagement features may need to be assessed not only for growth and usability, but also for whether their combined effects create risks that existing safeguards do not adequately mitigate.
From content governance to safety by design
On February 6, 2026, the Commission preliminarily found TikTok's addictive design to be in breach of the Digital Services Act. The preliminary finding focuses on a set of interconnected mechanics: endless feeds, automatic playback, push notifications and a highly personalised recommender system.
