Loved by young people, TikTok continues to break records with more than 1 billion users worldwide. Amnesty International, however, warns that its mode of operation is harmful. The algorithm is capable of plunging the user into a dangerous spiral.
The social network TikTok, popular with young people, is raising concerns among government authorities and other independent organizations.
An investigative report produced by the NGO Amnesty International describes a toxic and addictive system for children, likely to lead them into “spirals of potentially harmful content“.
A social network harmful to children?
Thanks to its excellent ergonomics, TikTok manages to retain the attention of users like no other network before it. An approach that promotes addiction, with some studies comparing the impact on the brain to that of a compulsive gambler. But growing criticism also targets the app’s algorithm. A fragile person who, for example, shows an interest in videos related to video health would quickly be offered content that encourages depressive thoughts, self-harm or even suicide.
To reach this conclusion, the organization set up several fictitious accounts of 13-year-old children, some being controlled by artificial intelligence and others manually by the teams investigating the subject. We then learn that after five or six hours spent on the platform, almost one in two videos addresses mental health in a harmful way. And this mechanism seems to accelerate when the user manually consults videos that he has already watched. In less than 20 minutes, the personalized news feed is simply “overwhelmed” by this content.
Redundancy at the center of concerns
The study also highlights how this content redundancy is at the heart of the economic strategy implemented by TikTok. The algorithm retains the user by offering them an incessant stream of videos, thus allowing maximum data to be collected. This data is then used in advertising campaigns that target precisely this same content. A sort of endless spiral then sets up with the risk of overwhelming the user.
“Our study shows that TikTok may be exposing children and youth to serious health risks by persisting with its current business model, which focuses more on keeping users’ eyes glued to the platform rather than respecting the right to health of children and young people“, explains Lisa Dittmer, researcher for Amnesty Tech.
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TikTok is a social media app primarily focused on creating and sharing short videos. TikTok has quickly become popular with a wide audience, especially among young people. The app allows users to create videos up to 3 minutes long, often featuring music, lip-syncing, dancing, comedy skits, and other forms of expressive performances.
TikTok is a social media app primarily focused on creating and sharing short videos. TikTok has quickly become popular with a wide audience, especially among young people. The app allows users to create videos up to 3 minutes long, often featuring music, lip-syncing, dancing, comedy skits, and other forms of expressive performances.
Source : Amnesty International
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