Through its seamless hyper-personalization, TikTok has created an addictive platform, despite mounting evidence of the serious health risks associated with children’s compulsive use of social media. Examining further risks of TikTok’s content targeting, Amnesty International’s research shows that TikTok’s ‘For You’ feed can easily draw children and young people who signal an interest in mental health into “rabbit holes” of potentially harmful content, including videos that romanticize and encourage depressive thinking, self-harm and suicide. TikTok risks exacerbating children and young people’s struggles with depression, anxiety and self-harm, putting young people’s mental and physical health at risk.
