China’s TikTok admits in its own research that “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.” The internal documents have been revealed as part of a lawsuit against the Chinese platform.
A lawsuit brought by the Attorney General of Kentucky claims that TikTok users can become “addicted” to the Chinese app in just 35 minutes, and that the app’s own internal research has found that “compulsive usage” of TikTok can result in “a slew of negative mental health effects,” according to a report by NPR.
“While this may seem substantial, TikTok videos can be as short as 8 seconds and are played for viewers in rapid-fire succession, automatically,” Kentucky authorities said. “Thus, in under 35 minutes, an average user is likely to become addicted to the platform.”
Moreover, “compulsive usage also interferes with essential personal responsibilities like sufficient sleep, work/school responsibilities, and connecting with loved ones,” the lawsuit adds.
Another internal document states that TikTok — which estimates that 95 percent of smartphone users under the age of 17 use the Chinese app — knows the app is designed to keep young people on the platform, and that its features successfully lead to users having a constant and irresistible urge to continue opening the app.
