TikTok is facing growing problems. A report from NPR revealed that internal documents show the company knew about the dangers its app poses to young people but didn’t do much to address them.
This news comes as the deadline for TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app is approaching. The U.S. government has set a deadline of January for ByteDance to divest TikTok, or it could face a federal ban. TikTok plans to legally challenge this action.
The situation is also troubling for businesses that use TikTok to connect with customers. This week, 13 states sued TikTok, claiming the app is designed to be addictive for kids and harms their mental health. The documents cited in the lawsuit came from the Kentucky attorney general’s office. Some previously confidential pages were accidentally released, revealing discussions about the app’s potential dangers. A judge later sealed the complaint again, so independent confirmation of the details has been difficult.
The documents reportedly show TikTok executives discussing how the app can be harmful to children. They estimated that it takes only 260 video views for users to become hooked on the app. Kentucky authorities mentioned that an average user can become addicted in under 35 minutes.
According to NPR, TikTok’s internal research indicates that 95% of smartphone users under 17 use the app at least once a month, often for long periods. One document stated, “The younger the user, the better the performance,” meaning younger kids engage with the app more.
TikTok’s research also found that excessive use of the app can lead to negative mental health effects, including problems with memory, thinking skills, and increased anxiety. TikTok acknowledged that too much time on the app could harm teens’ mental health. While they created a tool for parents to limit screen time, the default setting was 60 minutes per day, and it only slightly reduced overall usage. A project manager even noted, “Our goal is not to reduce the time spent.”
The documents also suggest TikTok knows that beauty filters, which change users’ faces using AI, can hurt young people’s self-esteem, yet they continue to provide these features. A 2020 memo warned that the app can quickly serve harmful content. One employee reported that after following certain accounts focused on negative themes, their feed was filled with troubling content, including topics related to suicide and body image issues.
TikTok isn’t alone in facing scrutiny over its algorithms. Lawmakers are also concerned about other social media platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, which have been investigated by the European Union for being too addictive and negatively affecting children’s physical and mental health. YouTube has also faced similar criticism.
These revelations could be problematic for TikTok, but they may also raise concerns for businesses that rely on the platform for customer engagement. A report from TikTok in March 2024 stated that over seven million small and medium-sized businesses in the U.S. use the app.
TikTok has even enlisted some of these businesses to help with its legal battles, claiming that a ban would harm them. Samantha Alario, founder of Gemini Mountain Swimwear, expressed that many entrepreneurs operate on tight budgets and rely on social media for their sales. She emphasized the importance of TikTok for her business and how it supports her family.
