by TikTok recommends self-harm and eating disorder content to some users within minutes of joining the platform, according to a new report published Wednesday by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH).
The new study had researchers set up TikTok accounts posing as 13-year-old users interested in content about body image and mental health. It found that within as few as 2.6 minutes after joining the app, TikTok’s algorithm recommended suicidal content. The report showed that eating disorder content was recommended within as few as 8 minutes.
Over the course of this study, researchers found 56 TikTok hashtags hosting eating disorder videos with over 13.2 billion views.
“The new report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate underscores why it is way past time for TikTok to take steps to address the platform’s dangerous algorithmic amplification,” said James P. Steyer, Founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, which is unaffiliated with the study. “TikTok’s algorithm is bombarding teens with harmful content that promote suicide, eating disorders, and body image issues that is fueling the teens’ mental health crisis.”
