TikTok gave teens, children placebo safety feature in experiment, New York alleges

New York alleges that TikTok conducted experiments on thousands of users, including teens and children, giving them non-functional safety features. The so-called "ghost" or placebo tests were designed to trick users into believing they had activated the safety tools, but their feeds remained unchanged. The New York Attorney General's lawsuit, filed in September 2024, accuses TikTok of prioritizing ad revenue over user safety and misleading consumers about the effectiveness of its "Algo Refresh" feature.

The feature is supposed to reset the algorithm that recommends videos to users, but the lawsuit claims TikTok only implemented temporary changes. The internal documents cited in the lawsuit reveal that product managers found the placebo tests on the Algo Refresh feature problematic, as they conflicted with the goal of algorithm transparency and user control.

The company has been accused of conducting separate experiments where they turned off safety features to limit exposure to harmful content for some users. The allegations led to a previous settlement with Alabama, where TikTok agreed to pay up to $300 million and modify its platform for teens.