What happens when a teenager signs up to TikTok? Within seconds, studies find, they are shown harmful content about issues from eating disorders to toxic subcultures, which keeps them scrolling and TikTok profiting from the ads.
Neelam Tailor puts TikTok’s algorithm to the test. Creating accounts for two fake children, a 14-year-old boy, Rami, and a 13-year-old girl, Angie, she explores the app’s ‘For You’ page to see what the platform really serves young teens, replicating two studies published in 2022 and 2024.
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TikTok’s algorithm clearly feeds teens harmful content fast—pushing girls toward body-image pressures and boys toward toxic subcultures—showing how profit is prioritized over young people’s wellbeing.