Court docs accidentally reveal secret TikTok research about the harm to children [Video]

By Cristiano Lima-Strong, Drew Harwell and Julian Mark

Updated October 12, 2024 — 4.40pm

Washington: TikTok’s political woes deepened on Friday after an inadvertent legal disclosure detailed how aware the app’s managers apparently were of its potential risks to children, airing explosive revelations as the Chinese-owned company tries to fend off a US ban.

The popular video-sharing platform’s internal research showed that children were particularly susceptible to its powerful algorithmic feeds and that excessive use of the site could lead to mental health issues, according to a lawsuit filed by the state of Kentucky earlier this week, redacted portions of which were unintentionally left readable.

Internal research from TikTok’s own analysts showed the younger the user, the more susceptible they were to the app’s algorithms. Credit: iStock

Even so, the lawsuit alleges, company leaders sought to …