Photo Credit: Jonathan Kemper
Documents uncovered in the state’s attorneys general investigation against TikTok have uncovered that the social media giant knew how addictive its algorithm is to teenagers and that they are being exploited on the platform.
The confidential material uncovered was part of an investigation led by 14 attorneys general—which led to state officials suing TikTok last week. The lawsuit states that TikTok is designed with the express intention of addicting young people to the app, which can happen in as few as 260 videos. States argue that TikTok has deceived the public about risks associated with the app.
Dozens of internal communications, documents, and research were redacted in documents provided to authorities. But one document provided to the Kentucky Attorney General’s office was not redacted and Kentucky Public Radio was able to discern some 30 pages of documents that were kept secret. KPR published some excerpts of the redacted material, which contains candid comments from TikTok executives discussing the dangers for children on the app.
The material contained summaries of internal studies and communications and conversation around time-management tools. Executives determined that these tools would have a negligible reduction in screen time, but TikTok went ahead and promoted them anyway. Another document reveals that executives were aware of the addictive nature of the algorithm, leading to an almost irresistible urge to keep opening the app.
“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,” reads TikTok’s own research quoted in the lawsuit. TikTok was also aware that the level of addictiveness presented by the app could disrupt personal lives. “Compulsive usage also interferes with essential personal responsibilities like sufficient sleep, work/school responsibilities, and connecting with loved ones.”
The documents also reveal that TikTok’s touted features about limiting the amount of time a child spends with the app were designed to increase public trust rather than actually limit addictive behaviors. After internal testing, TikTok found that these tools had a negligible impact on the amount of time teens were spending in the app—leading to a 1.5 minute drop in usage. TikTok estimates teens spend about 107 minutes per day in the app.
Aside from the addictive nature of the app, the documents also uncovered censorship efforts that Digital Music News reported on back in 2020. When TikTok discovered that a “high volume of … not attractive subjects” were filling the algorithm, the company retooled it to amplify what it considered to be attractive. Digital Music News also reported on TikTok’s efforts to hide disabled persons and LGBTQ+ people from the main ‘For You’ algorithm-driven feed during its meteoric growth phase.
TikTok’s research determined that the best way to get people sucked into the app was to target younger users. “As expected, across most engagement metrics, the younger the user, the better the performance,” reads a TikTok document from 2019.
TikTok was also aware of the underage stripping phenomenon of underage kid essentially performing strip-teases for money on the app. TikTok discovered a significant number of adults who were direct messaging underage TikTok users about stripping live on the platform for monetary rewards in the form of gifts or coins. According to TikTok’s own research, more than one million gifts were sent to kids who engaged in transactional behavior with an adult.
“[O]ne of our key discoveries during this project that has turned into a major challenge with Live business is that the content that gets the highest engagement may not be the content we want on our platform,” reads one message from a TikTok official. Documents also show that TikTok is slow to remove users under 13 despite laws—largely because this cohort is the most impacted by its addictive algorithm.
