Parents, wake up! There is no way to sugarcoat this: TikTok has been built in a way that traps children and even adults into endless scrolling. The European Union has already told TikTok it needs to change its design or risk heavy fines. This is serious because the app’s features are not just fun, they are pushing users into compulsive use.
It is painful to see how young people are glued to their phones, scrolling late into the night. The EU probe, which started in February 2024, shows that TikTok has done very little to protect children from its own design. So parents, the question is clear: are we going to allow an app to control our children’s time, attention, and energy while doing almost nothing to help?
How TikTok Keeps Users Glued
The EU found that TikTok’s infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, and highly personalised recommendation system are deliberately built to make users stay longer. Every swipe, every video, every notification is designed to keep people watching. This is not accidental. This is not harmless fun. This is a design that encourages compulsive use.
Even worse, TikTok has not made its tools effective enough to protect children. Screen time breaks can be ignored easily, and parental controls are complicated and time-consuming. So a child who wants to stay up all night watching videos can do so, and parents are left struggling to stop it.
Lessons From Europe
The EU has been very clear. TikTok must change or face fines of up to six percent of its global revenue. They want the app to be safe by design. They also want children to be protected automatically, not by parents constantly fighting a battle the platform should be helping with.
Europe is taking steps to protect children from social media abuse. Some countries are even thinking of restricting access for young teenagers. Look at it like this: other nations are saying no to harmful design features. Nigeria, meanwhile, still lets children scroll endlessly, often at the cost of their sleep, attention in school, and mental well-being.
Compulsive Use Is Real
This is where the real pain comes in. When children spend hours on TikTok without realizing it, their physical and mental health suffers. They lose sleep. They miss schoolwork. They get anxious or obsessed with what they see on the platform. And yet, the company is not taking strong enough action. The EU probe shows TikTok has been “extremely cooperative” on paper, but in reality, their changes do very little to stop compulsive use.
Every feature, every update, every notification is meant to keep users scrolling. Children and teens are the most affected, and it is heartbreaking that parents have to fight this battle almost alone.
What Should Be Done
If the EU can step in and demand change, why can’t Nigerian parents and authorities take this seriously? Social media should be safe by design, not a trap. TikTok must be held accountable for creating an environment that encourages compulsive use. Parents must watch their children’s screen time closely, and schools should educate students about the dangers.
At the end of the day, ignoring this problem is not an option. Every night children spend scrolling instead of sleeping is a night their brains and bodies pay for. Every notification that pulls them back into the app is a trap. Parents beware before it is too late.
