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TikTok's 'addictive design' found to be illegal in Europe

nytimes.com

21–30 of 568 posts

Re: TikTok's 'addictive design' found to be illegal in Europe

#21
post #10
post #5

I don't understand the legal side, but after gaining and kicking a Tiktok addiction during and after COVID, I believe it. I was there 4-8 hours a day and tried to scroll videos while washing dishes (and during nearly any other activity).

How'd you kick it?

For me it’s kicking itself lately. The content has gotten way less interesting over the past few months.

Maybe it just has to run its course.

Re: TikTok's 'addictive design' found to be illegal in Europe

#22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe it isn't any different to Facebook, I don't know. Why would if matter if Facebook isn't any different from TikTok in the context of this news?

Maybe because FB are getting away with the same thing?

Let me rephrase your question: "But if it's illegal for TikTok to do this, shouldn't Meta also be sued over it?"

The answer is "Yes".

Re: TikTok's 'addictive design' found to be illegal in Europe

#23
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I doubt they would if this becomes illegal. EU laws are slow, sometimes stupid, but consistent.

Are they consistent? As a North American, I find it difficult to take EU/European countries’ stances on addiction seriously when they seem to be decades behind on reducing the prevalence of smoking and drinking, which almost certainly cause more practical harm than TikTok ever could.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whataboutism

Re: TikTok's 'addictive design' found to be illegal in Europe

#26

> On Friday, the regulators released a preliminary decision that TikTok’s infinite scroll, auto-play features and recommendation algorithm amount to an “addictive design” that violated European Union laws for online safety. How is that any different to Facebook?

Maybe it isn't any different to Facebook, I don't know. Why would if matter if Facebook isn't any different from TikTok in the context of this news?

It matters because everyone - people, companies, countries - is supposed to be equal in front of the law. Selective application of the law shows this not to be the case and shows that there are other factors in play which decide whether someone - a person, a company, a country - gets to violate some law without legal consequences while someone else is prosecuted for the same violation.

If you now think "they have to start somewhere in prosecuting these violations" you're partly correct but also partly mistaken. Sure they have to start somewhere but they could - and if they are really serious about their claims should - have started prosecuting all those other companies which did this way before TikTok or even its predecessor Musically was a thing. Algorithm-driven endless scroll designs to keep user's eyes glued to the screen have been a thing from very early on in nearly all 'social' app-site-things and the warning signs about addictive behaviour in users have been out for many years without the law being thrown at the proprietors of those entities. As to why this has not happened I'll leave for the reader to decide. There are plenty of other examples to be found in this regard ranging from the apprehension of the Telegram CEO to the sudden fervour in going after X-formerly-known-as-Twitter which seem to point at politics being at play in deciding whether a company gets to violate laws without being prosecuted or not.

So what's the solution you ask? As far as I can see it is to keep these companies from violating user's rights by keeping them in line regardless of who owns or runs the company and regardless of whether those owners or proprietors are cooperative on other fronts. Assuming that these laws were written to stem the negative influence these app-things have on their users they should have gone after many other companies much earlier. Had they done so it might even have led to TikTok realising that their scheme would not work in the EU. They might not have launched here or they might have detuned their algorithmic user trap, they might have done many things to negate the negative effects of their product. They might just have decided to skip the whole EU market altogether like many other companies have done and do. I'd have thought 'good riddance', what you?

Re: TikTok's 'addictive design' found to be illegal in Europe

#27
post #5

I don't understand the legal side, but after gaining and kicking a Tiktok addiction during and after COVID, I believe it. I was there 4-8 hours a day and tried to scroll videos while washing dishes (and during nearly any other activity).

Short form video content in general is ludicrously addictive. All infinite scroll is addictive but there’s something particularly strong when it’s short videos that each deliver some kind of hook or punch line.

I landed on YouTube shorts once and started scrolling. Hours later I genuinely felt like I’d been drugged. It was shocking and surreal how powerful the effect was. Made it a point since then to never go there. I’ve never touched TikTok but I’ve heard stories of people spending every waking second on that thing.

Obviously some people are going to be more prone to it than others.

Re: TikTok's 'addictive design' found to be illegal in Europe

#28
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I doubt they would if this becomes illegal. EU laws are slow, sometimes stupid, but consistent.

Are they consistent? As a North American, I find it difficult to take EU/European countries’ stances on addiction seriously when they seem to be decades behind on reducing the prevalence of smoking and drinking, which almost certainly cause more practical harm than TikTok ever could.

what is more damaging, a hammer, a sword, or poison?

i hope i don’t have to go out of my way to explain the analogy.

Re: TikTok's 'addictive design' found to be illegal in Europe

#29

Funny how Europe's "concern" for digital health only kicks in when a non US platform starts winning

You’re getting downvoted but seriously, it took them this long to figure this out? I also suspect they won’t outright ban TikTok, but instead levy a multi-billion dollar fine and let it continue operating.

Re: TikTok's 'addictive design' found to be illegal in Europe

#30
post #10
post #5

I don't understand the legal side, but after gaining and kicking a Tiktok addiction during and after COVID, I believe it. I was there 4-8 hours a day and tried to scroll videos while washing dishes (and during nearly any other activity).

How'd you kick it?

uninstall the app. Works really well to me. The conscious effort of reinstalling it is enough to prevent me from doing it. Whereas using the awfully implemented screentime guards, I just find myself clicking on "Allow for 15 minutes" before I even understand what I do.
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