Could TikTok add to mental health problems for kids ?
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- TikTok, one of the most popular apps on the planet, is in the hot seat again. This after newly unsealed clips from internal meetings show a startling glimpse of employees expressing concern about the potential harm of the app on young users' mental health.
One senior executive acknowledges the app's goal with users. The unsealed video from a lawsuit is as follows:
Brett Peters, TikTok Global Head of Creator Advocacy & Reputation: "We all have these really lofty goals of getting people to be on the app longer, like, literally, um, like that's like why we're all here is to help continue to diversify the content ecosystem to make TikTok a place where you can get so much different types of content that you never want to leave."
Nicholas Chng, TikTok, Former Issues Program Manager: "Unfortunately, some of the stuff that people find interesting are not always the most healthy. Um, so I think we do have, we do in a way encourage some of this content being put up."
Ally Mann, TikTok, Creator Lead Marketing: "We obviously wanted people to spend as much time as possible on TikTok, which is can be in um contrast to what is best for your mental health."
The remarks in the unsealed clips don't track with TikTok's public statements. The company has said it believes its platform is safe for young people. A Tiktok spokesperson called the video "misleading."
The spokesperson adds that the company has built dozens of features and settings designed specifically to support the safety and well-being of teens and families. The lawsuit from North Carolina alleges the platform deceives parents and kids about its potential safety risks.
A reminder for all parents and children to have a serious talk about what they're looking at, and implementing time limits on TikTok and other apps, and phones in general.
