New York accuses TikTok of running secret safety tests on teens

New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed an amended lawsuit against TikTok, alleging the platform ran secret experiments on teen users to test the safety of its algorithmic changes. This follows a report by Bloomberg Businessweek, which cited a confidential TikTok document detailing an experiment conducted in 2021 that affected around 15 million U.S. users.

One of these users tragically took their own life during the experiment, which involved withholding a safety feature from 10% of users to determine if the change reduced their time on the platform.

James' lawsuit claims that TikTok intentionally designed its test to make the experience less safe for those users in the test group. The company, however, maintains that its testing practices do not compromise user safety. TikTok stated that they regularly test new products and features to assess their impact and enhance user experience, similar to other companies.

New York is among several states that have joined the lawsuit, accusing TikTok and other social media platforms of causing mental health issues in young users and misleading the public about their safety measures. In September, TikTok settled a similar case in Alabama for up to $300 million, but other state lawsuits remain unresolved.

Meta Platforms recently reached a settlement with most states over similar youth safety concerns, agreeing to pay up to $18 billion and implement changes to their platforms. The $5.3 billion portion of Meta's settlement, paid over ten years, hinges on the commitments from TikTok and Snap to introduce changes and contribute to state initiatives aiding children. These platforms, along with YouTube, are embroiled in numerous lawsuits, many of which have been consolidated into multidistrict proceedings.