The U.S. accuses TikTok of being aware of the harmful effects of its platform on young users.

Internal documents, referenced in a subpoena issued by Kentucky’s attorney general along with twelve other U.S. states and Washington D.C., reveal that TikTok was aware of the harmful effects of its platform on young users but limited preventive measures due to concerns about losing users.

These documents were revealed by Kentucky’s public radio on Friday.

TikTok’s internal teams had identified the negative impact their platform had on young users, particularly related to mental health. The documents show that despite this knowledge, TikTok was hesitant to implement stronger protections, fearing that it might reduce user engagement.

The subpoena, part of a lawsuit accusing TikTok of harming the mental health of its younger users, detailed communications that surfaced before a state judge ordered the removal of the documents from public records. The documents indicate that TikTok was aware of the addictive nature of its platform and the power of its recommendation algorithm, which continuously serves users new videos.

“We need to be mindful” of the algorithm’s potential effects on “sleep, nutrition, moving around, or even making eye contact,” wrote one executive. Another internal document stated that a user could become “addicted” after watching as few as 260 videos. Frequent use of the platform also led to increased anxiety, according to the same source.

While TikTok has introduced features to limit usage for younger users—such as parental controls and screen time limits—the documents suggest these measures were not fully developed despite their known shortcomings. A project manager at TikTok wrote, “Our goal is not to reduce time spent” on the platform.

TikTok responded to the revelations, calling the release of the documents “irresponsible” and asserting that the information was “taken out of context” and cited “misleadingly.” The company emphasized that it has implemented measures to protect minors on its platform.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR See More

Ignacio Teson

Economist and Financial Analyst

Ignacio Teson is an Economist and Financial Analyst. He has more than 7 years of experience in emerging markets. He worked as an analyst and market operator at brokerage firms in Argentina and Spain.

Related Articles

Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.