Internal TikTok documents show prioritization of traffic over well-being

TikTok faces a ban in the United States if it continues to be owned by China-based ByteDance – Copyright AFP/File Alain JOCARD

TikTok teams identified harmful effects of its platform on young users but limited preventive measures so as to avoid a drop in traffic, according to internal documents revealed Friday by a US public radio station. 

The documents, mentioned in a subpoena issued by the Kentucky attorney general, are part of a lawsuit filed by 13 states and Washington D.C., accusing TikTok of harming young users’ mental health. 

The papers reveal TikTok’s awareness of its platform’s appeal and its recommendation algorithm, which offers a seemingly endless chain of short videos. 

One unnamed TikTok executive noted the need to be “cognizant” of the app’s impact on “sleep, and eating, and moving around the room, and looking at someone in the eyes.” 

Kentucky Public Radio reconstructed the internal communications before a state judge ordered the documents removed from the public record. 

The lawsuit claims TikTok’s research found that after viewing 260 videos, a user likely became addicted to the platform. 

The company’s studies also correlated “compulsive usage” with negative mental health effects, including “loss of analytical skills, memory formation, contextual thinking, conversational depth, empathy, and increased anxiety.” 

While TikTok has implemented features to limit young users’ screen time, including parental controls and a one-hour timeout, the documents suggest ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, did not seek to improve these tools despite knowing their limited effectiveness. 

A TikTok project manager wrote, “Our goal is not to reduce the time spent” on the platform. 

In response, TikTok called the publication of sealed court information “highly irresponsible.” 

“Unfortunately, this complaint cherry-picks misleading quotes and takes outdated documents out of context to misrepresent our commitment to community safety,” it said.

The state lawsuits come as the popular video-snippet sharing app faces a ban in the United States if it remains owned by China-based ByteDance.

The US government alleges that TikTok allows Beijing to collect data and spy on users. It also says TikTok is a conduit to spread propaganda. China and the company strongly deny these claims.