Portugal’s ANACOM Can Force TikTok to Curb Addictive Design

The European Commission has formally accused TikTok of designing its app in a way that keeps users glued to their screens—an alleged breach of the EU Digital Services Act (DSA) that could cost the company up to 6 % of its global turnover.

Why This Matters

• Potential redesign: Brussels wants the company to curb infinite scroll, autoplay and push alerts that encourage binge viewing.

• Health safeguards: New obligations could introduce mandatory screen-breaks—especially at night—directly benefiting Portuguese teenagers who spend a reported 4-5 h/day on the platform.

• Wallet impact: A multi-billion-euro fine might push TikTok to seek new revenue streams, affecting local creators and advertisers in Portugal.

• National oversight: ANACOM, now Portugal’s Digital Services Coordinator, gains fresh powers to audit TikTok’s Lisbon office and impose daily penalties if compliance stalls.

Brussels’ Complaint in Plain English

European regulators argue that TikTok’s user interface relies on behavioural nudges—from endlessly refreshing feeds to hyper-personalised algorithms—that push people, including minors, into a “pilot-automatic mode.” The Commission says the company failed to perform a credible risk assessment or roll out proportionate fixes, as required since the DSA took full effect in February 2024 for Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs).

How the App Hooks You

The core mechanics flagged by investigators are familiar to anyone who has watched “just one more” clip:

Infinite scroll continuously loads content without asking for user intent.

Autoplay clips blur the line between choice and passive consumption.

Push notifications act as dopamine triggers that lure users back at night.

A machine-learning recommendation engine fine-tunes the feed every few seconds.

Academic studies cited by Brussels link these elements to higher rates of anxiety, sleep deprivation and reduced self-control among 12-18-year-olds.

Portugal’s Enforcement Levers

Under the DSA, each EU country must have a single watchdog; in Portugal that role falls to ANACOM. The agency can now:

• Request TikTok’s internal engagement metrics collected on Portuguese soil.

• Launch surprise on-premise inspections at the company’s offices in Porto and Lisbon.

• Order interim measures such as temporary feature suspensions if local harm is proven.

If TikTok stalls, ANACOM can impose periodic penalty payments of up to 5 % of the firm’s average daily revenue.

What This Means for Residents

• Parents & teachers: Expect clearer time-limit tools and perhaps a nighttime pause that locks the app after several hours of use.

• Influencers: Algorithm tweaks may reduce the visibility of marathon live streams; plan for diversified audiences on other platforms.

• Advertisers: A forced slowdown of user sessions could translate into fewer ad impressions; renegotiate CPM rates while uncertainty lasts.

• Investors & start-ups: The crackdown signals that dark-pattern design is a regulatory red line; local fintech and gaming apps should pre-emptively run DSA-style risk audits.

The Company Line—and Its Critics

TikTok calls the Commission’s allegations “categorically false” and vows to deploy “every legal avenue” to fight them. Child-safety NGOs, including KidsRight and the Centre for Countering Digital Hate, counter that the EU’s findings mirror their own research.

The Road Ahead

TikTok has several weeks to submit a written defence.

Brussels may then negotiate binding commitments or proceed to a final decision.

If non-compliance persists, fines up to €10 bn (rough estimate based on 2025 turnover) are on the table.

Europe’s Wider Tech Clean-Up

TikTok is not alone. The Commission is already probing Meta, Temu and Snapchat over similar design issues. Analysts view the TikTok case as a bellwether: if EU lawyers can reshape a Chinese-owned VLOP, every other platform operating in the single market will feel the heat.