● Covered by 1 source · 1 reportMedium impact1 negative
New York Lawsuit Alleges TikTok Provided Placebo Safety Feature to Teens and Children
Key points
- New York lawsuit alleges TikTok provided placebo safety feature.
- Thousands of teen and child users were part of the experiment.
- The "Algo Refresh" feature did not change user feeds.
- Lawsuit is one of over two dozen against TikTok by states.
Allegations of Placebo Safety Feature
New York's lawsuit against TikTok includes allegations that the social media platform provided a non-functional safety feature, "Algo Refresh," to thousands of teen and child users. This feature, intended to allow users to reset their content recommendations, reportedly did not alter the feeds of those in the experiment, despite users believing it was active.
Experimental Design
The lawsuit states that TikTok's experiments involved users who had opted into safety features. While these users received a placebo version, other users not part of the experiment had access to a fully functioning "Algo Refresh" tool. TikTok stated it "regularly test new products and features to validate the experience and understand how they work in the real world."
Broader Legal Context
This specific allegation is part of a larger lawsuit filed by New York, which is one of more than two dozen cases brought by various states against TikTok. These lawsuits generally accuse TikTok of designing its platform to encourage addictive use among children and of misleading users regarding its safety measures.
Previous Allegations of Withholding Features
The lawsuit also references other alleged experiments by TikTok. A previous report indicated that TikTok withheld a safety feature from 15 million U.S. users, including a teenager who later died by suicide.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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Reporting from
New York's lawsuit against TikTok claims the platform gave thousands of teen and child users a non-functional "Algo Refresh" safety feature during an experiment. This action is part of broader allegations that TikTok designs its platform for addictive use and misleads users about safety.