On May 12 at a summit on artificial intelligence and children in Copenhagen, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen articulated not just a warning — she described an already-launched legal mechanism. TikTok received a preliminary finding of violations of the Digital Services Act (DSA) due to features that the Commission calls "addictive design": endless scrolling, auto-playing videos, and push notifications.
What exactly did TikTok violate
The European Commission launched a formal investigation into TikTok back in February 2024. Preliminary findings showed that the platform failed to adequately assess how its features affect the physical and mental health of users — particularly minors. Specifically, TikTok ignored indicators of compulsive use, such as the time teenagers spend in the app at night and the frequency of opening it.
"By continuously 'rewarding' users with new content, certain design features of TikTok put the brain in autopilot mode, leading to compulsive behavior and reducing self-control"
— preliminary findings of the European Commission
These are not the platform's first problems with the EU: TikTok's advertising transparency issues were closed through mandatory commitments in December 2025. But "addictive design" is the most substantive claim that remains unresolved.
Meta — next
Von der Leyen directly named Meta. According to her, Instagram and Facebook "do not enforce their own minimum age of 13" — meaning the company established the rule but failed to ensure a mechanism for compliance. Separately, the EU opened proceedings against X for using the AI tool Grok to generate sexual images of women and children.
Additionally, the European Commission developed its own age verification prototype — a so-called "mini-wallet" compatible with future EU digital identity documents. It allows users to confirm they are 13 or 18 years old without transmitting any other personal data.
What the numbers reveal
Research from Dartmouth University conducted by economist David Blanchflower documented a significant increase in levels of sadness and hopelessness among teenagers over the past 15 years — linking it to smartphones and social networks. According to Pew Research, 48% of American teenagers believe social media negatively affects people their age — an increase from 32% in 2022.
Von der Leyen outlined the stakes starkly: "Sleep deprivation, depression, anxiety, self-harm, cyberbullying, sexual exploitation. The risks are multiplying rapidly. This is not accidental — it is the result of business models that turn our children's attention into a commodity".
What comes next
TikTok has the right to defend itself — the platform can review the evidence and submit a response. If the Commission confirms the preliminary finding, the company faces a fine of up to 6% of global annual turnover. Regarding the minimum age for registering on social networks — the Commission may propose separate legislation as early as summer 2025, following recommendations from an expert group.
The question that will determine the real weight of this regulatory pressure: will the future minimum age law receive a mandatory technical verification mechanism — or will it remain a declaration with responsibility left to the conscience of platforms, as has already happened with Meta's 13-year threshold.
