A review of TikTok's internal communications suggests executives were aware the app could potentially harm teens because of its addictive nature but pursued them as users anyway, according to NPR.
NPR reports the communications were part of a lawsuit filed against the multibillion-dollar company by 14 attorneys general on Tuesday, alleging the app was designed to addict young people and hide the risks. TikTok denied wrongdoing and said it has safety features to protect children.
The company's communications were previously redacted in separate lawsuits filed by the states, except for one filed by Kentucky, NPR reported. Kentucky Public Radio revealed some of the material before the complaint was sealed.
The documents show TikTok touted its time-management features even though its internal studies showed they wouldn't have much effect, NPR reported. The company's communications reveal that employees knew the app could harm teens' mental health if they spent too much time on it, according to NPR.
Among the revelations: TikTok users can become addicted in under 35 minutes, according to Kentucky authorities; TikTok was aware the app was designed to keep young people on it even though its research showed it can lead to mental health issues, including depression and anxiety; and TikTok measured the success of its time-management tool by how much it was improving public trust in the app rather than how much it reduced the amount of time teens spent on it.
In one excerpt of the company's communications, NPR reported a TikTok executive saying excessive time spent on the app could cause users to lose "other opportunities." “I literally mean sleep, and eating, and moving around the room, and looking at someone in the eyes," the executive said.
TikTok also amplified users it found more physically attractive; uses an algorithm that puts users into "filter bubbles" that can serve potentially harmful content such as suicide and eating disorders; and is slow to remove users under the age of 13, NPR reported.
After Forbes reported in 2022 that underage children were stripping on the app's live feature, TikTok officials found that a high number of the kids received digital currency on the app and that adults were direct messaging them, according to the excerpts reported by NPR.
TikTok spokesman Alex Haurek told NPR it was "highly irresponsible" to publish the company's communications after a judge sealed the complaint. Haurek said the complaint "cherry-picks misleading quotes and takes outdated documents out of context to misrepresent our commitment to community safety."
"We have robust safeguards, which include proactively removing suspected underage users, and we have voluntarily launched safety features such as default screentime limits, family pairing, and privacy by default for minors under 16," Haurek said in a statement to NPR.
