TikTok pressed by senators over experiment that withheld safety measures
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Two senators are demanding TikTok explain an "experiment" that withheld safety measures for millions of users.
The big picture: The demand comes as a cascade of lawsuits over social media's allegedly harmful and addictive designs are playing out in courts across the U.S., including Meta and YouTube's landmark trial earlier this year.
- Both social media companies were found negligent for a woman's social media addiction, and ordered to pay millions in damages.
Driving the news: The letter to TikTok from Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) highlights reporting from Bloomberg, which found that the social media platform adjusted its algorithm in 2021 to protect against users being inundated with repetitive, potentially harmful topics.
- However, TikTok did not roll out those features to a control group of 10% of U.S. users.
- One of those individuals, according to a confidential document obtained by Bloomberg, was a teenage boy who was fed videos about sadness and loneliness up until he killed himself.
- TikTok did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
What they're saying: "While testing for effectiveness is common practice, disturbingly TikTok appeared fixated on whether the safety measure would affect user engagement or the 'stickiness' of the platform—trying to put the price tag on safety," Blackburn and Blumenthal wrote.
- "Even more troubling, this control group, presumably intentionally, included minors," they wrote.
- The senators called TikTok's alleged actions "sinister," and said the "revelations raise serious questions about TikTok's repeated assurances to Congress, parents, and the American public that it prioritizes the safety and well-being of young people over profit."
Zoom in: Blumenthal and Blackburn, who have collaborated across the aisle for years on the push to protect kids online, demanded a response by September 1 in the letter to TikTok Inc.'s CEO Shou Zi Chew and Adam Presser, who heads its U.S. joint venture.
- In particular, they're seeking details about experiments involving TikTok's strategies to prevent filter bubbles or the mental health impacts of its algorithm.
- They also want to know who was involved in the test and whether they considered excluding minors from the control group, among other inquiries.
What we're watching: After years of lawmakers hammering tech executives over the risks kids and teens face online, social media companies now also face the gauntlet of courts—which could reshape the platforms' futures and lead to hefty fines.
- Opening arguments in a child safety and privacy case against Meta kicked off in federal court this week, with challengers arguing the tech giant's platforms were designed to keep kids hooked.
- Earlier this month, a U.S. Appeals Court allowed the torrent of lawsuits against the platforms to proceed, concluding Section 230 provides a defense against liability, not blanket immunity from suits.
Go deeper: What research says about social media addiction as Zuckerberg testifies in court
