The TikTok app, accused of harming children's mental health, is facing an investigation into its algorithms and marketing strategies towards youth launched by several U.S. states working to tackle the social challenges arising from the use of social media.
On Wednesday, eight states, including California and Florida, announced the launch of an investigation into the popular app known for streaming short music or comedic videos, which are carefully selected by its algorithms based on user preferences.
The U.S. states have accused the app, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, of encouraging children to spend more time on TikTok, which is available in the U.S. for individuals under 13 as long as they use a modified version suitable for them.
#### Psychological and Physical Harm
California Attorney General Rob Bonta stated in a statement that "our children are growing up in the era of social media, and many feel the need to adopt the modified videos they see on their screens as a standard." He added, "We know it has devastating effects on children's mental health and safety, but we are unaware of what the companies know and how long they have known it."
This investigation follows a previous one launched by numerous attorneys general concerning "Meta," the parent company of Facebook. They accused the giant social media network of promoting Instagram among young people while ignoring internal reports indicating potential harm caused by the app, according to documents leaked last fall by former Facebook employee Frances Haugen.
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey noted that research conducted by the attorneys general "showed that using Instagram increases the risk of physical and mental health harm to youth, particularly depression, eating disorders, and even suicide." She added that "Meta has failed to protect young people on its online platforms, choosing instead to ignore practices that pose a real threat to their physical and mental health or even to promote these practices in some cases, thereby exploiting children for profit."
#### TikTok's Response
TikTok responded to the launch of the investigation, promising through a spokesperson to "provide information about the many mechanisms we have in place to ensure safety and protect teenage privacy." They added, "We are deeply committed to building an experience that supports the safety of our community, and we value the attorneys general's focus on the safety of young users."
California, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Vermont stated in a joint announcement that they intend to study "the technologies used by TikTok to encourage young people" to spend more time on the app and interact with the content and creators.
Vermont Attorney General Thomas Donovan affirmed that this is about "protecting children and supporting parents." Instagram halted the development of its version dedicated to children under 13 in September. However, the reactions and accusations from officials and attorneys general have not significantly impacted the concerned companies.
Although U.S. authorities have become firmer and stricter in recent years with the major platforms that have gained substantial economic and political power, they lack concrete and swift solutions amid delays in lawsuits or pressures to enact new laws.
Carolina Milanesi, an analyst from Creative Strategies, stated, "I don’t think TikTok has a lot of reasons to be concerned." She added, "They are expected to act similarly to Meta, meaning they will separate their safety-related features," but "this will not affect their usage." She further mentioned, "Instagram clarified that it does not create content but publishes what youth upload online and watch," adding, "This is certainly true, but the company bears responsibility for content management, and at this point, things remain unclear."
