NPR and Kentucky Public Radio report that court documents show TikTok executives are aware the app could pose a risk to teens.
Earlier this week, 14 U.S. attorneys general filed a lawsuit against TikTok, accusing it of harming the mental health of children. Much of the content in these lawsuits was redacted, but reporters were able to read some of it by copying and pasting.
According to the Kentucky lawsuit, the company's own research shows that “compulsive use can lead to mental health problems, including loss of analytical skills, memory formation, situational thinking, depth of conversation, empathy, and increased anxiety. The study shows that the negative effects of
Additionally, the lawsuit includes internal communications regarding features that allow parents to restrict their children's use of TikTok. Apparently, the feature only reduced usage by an average of 1.5 minutes per day, and the company instead measured its success based on “increased public trust in TikTok.” TikTok platform through media coverage. ”
A spokesperson for TikTok said NPR's publication of excerpts from the lawsuit was “highly irresponsible,” calling it “cherry-picked and misleading quotes to misrepresent our commitment to community safety.” “It takes an outdated document out of context.”