TikTok was reportedly aware of teens becoming addicted & more

Social media addiction is one of the most prevalent issues in today’s world. Millions of people can spend hours and hours scrolling through traditional social platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram, or video-focused ones, like TikTok.With that being said, a report claims that TikTok was aware that its teenage users were becoming addicted and the potential consequences.

TikTok has been in the crosshairs of US authorities for some time. The Chinese origin of the application generates distrust among government officials. Currently, the company is trying to appeal the executive order that forces it to sell its US section or stop operating in the country.

TikTok internal investigation reveals negative consequences for addicted users

US authorities have cited data security and the negative effects of the platform on young people as reasons for their crusade against TikTok. An internal investigation by TikTok itself in 2019 provides a clear summary of the collateral damage of app addiction. The report paints a bigger picture of the things that young TikTok users could be exposed to.

NPR obtained unreported documents from a case against TikTok in Kentucky. The lawsuit, filed by the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office, claims that TikTok is “specifically designed to be an addiction machine, targeting children who are still in the process of developing appropriate self-control.” This shouldn’t surprise anyone, as social platforms aim to retain users on them for extended periods.

However, the report also includes results from TikTok’s internal research on the negative effects of using the platform. “Compulsive usage correlates with a slew of negative mental health effects like loss of analytical skills, memory formation, contextual thinking, conversational depth, empathy, and increased anxiety,” the lawsuit says.

Filter bubbles pose dangers to mental health

Furthermore, TikTok was reportedly aware that younger audiences are more susceptible to becoming addicted. “Across most engagement metrics, the younger the user, the better the performance,” reads TikTok’s investigation. While TikTok does have a tool to limit app usage, it doesn’t seem to be working correctly. In theory, the tool should limit usage of the platform to 60 minutes per day. However, the results of the research show that users spent about 107 minutes even with the tool enabled.

“Filter bubbles” represent another potential issue. This is how TikTok’s algorithm determines your preferences and sends you content that is tailored to your specific profile. The results found that the platform could link young users to content that threatens mental health. This includes filter bubbles for painful (“painhub”) and sad (“sadnotes”) videos. According to the research, TikTok only takes into account 30 minutes of use to set a user in a filter bubble.

Another macabre discovery reveals instances of underage girls receiving gifts or coins as a “reward” for performing actions during live streams. Malicious actors would have taken advantage of this to get the girls to strip. Many would even write via DM to the accounts of underage girls for this purpose.

Things have changed since 2019, TikTok says

As we mentioned at the beginning, TikTok’s internal investigation dates back to 2019. So, it’s possible that things have changed quite a bit since then. Alex Haurek, a spokesperson for TikTok, says that some of the allegations in the lawsuit are “outdated.” According to Haurek, TikTok has implemented “robust safeguards, which include proactively removing suspected underage users.” He also claims that the platform has “voluntarily launched safety features such as default screentime limits, family pairing, and privacy by default for minors under 16.“