TikTok faces investigation about its impact on young people’s mental health

A coalition of state attorney’s general is investigating TikTok for its potential effect on young people’s mental and physical health. The group of AGs is looking to see if the way TikTok designs, operates, and markets its platform has a negative effect on children, teens, and young adults’ health, according to a press release. TikTok’s algorithm determines what content users see, and has proven remarkably effective at keeping users engaged on the app. While the company has offered some insight into how it works, it’s hard to get a grasp on exact details outside of leaks and educated guesswork. TikTok has struggled in the past to meet the needs of its younger users – it had to pay $5.7 million in 2019 to settle accusations that its predecessor, Musical.ly, didn’t get proper permission from the parents of young children who signed up to use the app. The investigation could have an impact beyond just TikTok. Other social media companies like Meta and Snapchat have been taking cues from the short-form video platform when designing new features or discussing the future of apps.

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