Content is curated by TikTok's artificial intelligence depending on the content a user liked, interacted with, or searched. On 18 April 2024, Notes first released to users in Canada and Australia for limited testing. A Meta spokesperson said that all platforms, including TikTok, should face scrutiny.
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Concerns have been voiced regarding content relating to, and the promotion and spreading of, hate speech and far-right extremism, such as antisemitism, islamophobia, racism, and xenophobia. According to their survey, people who use TikTok more than three hours daily are significantly more positive about China's human rights record compared to those who do not use the app. The researchers said this is because some YouTube accounts are linked to state actors. In other cases, however, Instagram and YouTube showed higher rates of pro-China content than TikTok.
- TikTok moderators were instructed to suppress posts from « For You » recommendations if the users shown were deemed « too ugly, poor, or disabled ».
- A third party will oversee the cybersecurity policies, data flows, and personnel access independently of TikTok.
- One female worker complained that the company did not allow her adequate time to change her feminine hygiene product because of back-to-back meetings.
- Nonetheless, several users have reported cyberbullying via features such as Duet or React, which is used to interact with followers.
- 7521, which would ban TikTok entirely unless it was divested from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.
- On September 14, 2025, the Wall Street Journal reported the US and China have reached the « framework of a deal » for the US operations of TikTok to be sold to a consortium of investors in the US including Larry Ellison of Oracle.
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On September 14, 2025, the Wall Street Journal reported the US and China have reached the "framework of a deal" for the US operations of TikTok to be sold to a consortium of investors in the US including Larry Ellison of Oracle. While Beijing preferred TikTok remain under ByteDance's control, the sale could happen through a competitive process or with U.S. government involvement. The company posted job listings for staff for a series of order fulfillment centers in the U.S. and is reportedly planning to start the new live shopping business before the end of the year. The partnership entails the launch of an official NFL TikTok account, which is to bring about new marketing opportunities such as sponsored videos and hashtag challenges. The slotrize casino no deposit bonus founder of ByteDance, Zhang Yiming, stated that "China is home to only one-fifth of Internet users globally. If we don't expand on a global scale, we are bound to lose to peers eyeing the four-fifths. So, going global is a must."
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In 2019, The Guardian reported that TikTok had censored videos of topics not favored by the Chinese government. TikTok said only a few individuals can approve heating in the U.S. and the promoted videos take up less than 0.002% of user feeds. NBC reported that videos using the hashtags '#plasticsurgery' and '#lipfiller' had amassed a combined 26 billion views on the platform.
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TikTok has faced criticism for transferring European user data to servers in the United States. A data scientist said U.S. user data were emailed to ByteDance workers in China to identify viewer interests. It would also digitally sign software code, approve updates, and oversee content moderation and recommendation. A 2024 unclassified threat assessment by the Director of National Intelligence said "TikTok accounts run by a Chinese propaganda arm reportedly targeted candidates" during the 2022 United States elections. Whether similar information will remain exempt from being treated as "protected user data" is being negotiated with Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). In June 2023, TikTok confirmed that some financial information, such as tax forms and Social Security numbers, of American content creators are stored in China.
- Insomnia is considered a strong mediator between screen media time and mental health symptoms which implies that engaging in screen time pushes out adequate sleep and leads to decreased mental health.
- TikTok has provided a platform for users to create content not only for fun but also for money.
- Out of TikTok’s top 100 male creators, a 2022 analysis reported 67% were white, with 54% having near-perfect facial symmetry.
- TikTok’s unique platform organization, of spontaneous peer-peer information sharing, has enabled its utilization for community-engaged, digital knowledge mobilization and exchange between social justice communities.
- In August 2020, The Wall Street Journal reported that TikTok tracked Android user data, including MAC addresses and IMEIs, with a tactic in violation of Google’s policies.
In August 2024, the NCRI released a subsequent report based on user journey data from 24 accounts that they created across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. After increased scrutiny, TikTok said it is granting some outside experts access to the platform's anonymized data sets and protocols, including filters, keywords, criteria for heating, and source code. In January 2023, Forbes reported that a "heating" tool allows TikTok to manually promote certain videos, comprising 1–2% of daily views. A significant number of users on TikTok, such as Juju Green, create content surrounding Film criticism and Easter eggs. These trends amassed popularity in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, as many people spent more time cooking at home while engaging with social media for entertainment. A viral TikTok trend known as "devious licks" involves students vandalizing or stealing school property and posting videos of the action on the platform.
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In December 2022, it was reported that a cosmetic surgery procedure known as buccal fat removal was going viral on the platform. TikTok has banned the advertising of cosmetic surgeries on the platform but cosmetic surgeons are still able to reach large audiences using unpaid photo and video posts. In April 2022, NBC News reported that surgeons were giving influencers on the platform discounted or free cosmetic surgeries in order to advertise the procedures to their audiences.
It works with Common Sense Networks to check for safety and age appropriateness and with the Poynter Institute for reliability of information. In March 2023, TikTok introduced a dedicated feed for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) content. Creators who posted saying that they would not be changing their content, such as Green, were met with significant criticism.
The company said its algorithm tracks interests not identity, and non-LGBT users also view such content. In May 2023, The Wall Street Journal reported that former employees complained about TikTok tracking users who had viewed LGBT-related content. The Israeli Defense Force actively recruits influencers on TikTok and other social media platforms, often with what commentators have dubbed "Thirst traps". In October 2020, the e-commerce platform Shopify added TikTok to its portfolio of social media platforms, allowing online merchants to sell their products directly to consumers on TikTok. In June 2022, NBC News reported that some of the influencers paid by FeetFinder, a website that sells foot fetish content, did not disclose their videos were ads. In December 2022, NBC News reported in a television segment that some TikTok and YouTube influencers were being given free and discounted cosmetic surgeries in order for them to advertise the surgeries to users of the platforms.
In November 2022, Australia's medical regulatory agency, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) reported that there was a global shortage of the diabetes medication Ozempic. The Ministry of Education (Taiwan) has warned against the harmful impact of TikTok and related app RedNote on body image and ensuing self harm related to weight loss especially in teenagers. As of March 2025update, strong scientific understanding of TikTok's effects on user's mental health "remains elusive".
Many stars got their start on musical.ly, which merged with TikTok on 2 August 2018. It is reported that TikTok Music features songs from major record companies like Universal Music Group, Sony Music and Warner Music Group. If an eligible creator's video reaches the top 4%, they will receive a 50% share of the revenue from ads displayed with the video.
The court cited TikTok's negligence in failing to implement "necessary and adequate measures" to prevent the viral video challenges. On December 30, 2024, Venezuela's Supreme Court fined TikTok $10 million over viral challenges that authorities say led to the deaths of three children. TikTok raised the minimum age for livestreaming from 16 to 18 after a BBC News investigation found hundreds of accounts going live from Syrian refugee camps. The growth of popularity and access to TikTok has contributed to a growth in popularity of digital feminist movements and discourse originating from the platform. After a new set of Russian war censorship laws was installed in March 2022, the company announced a series of restrictions on Russian and non-Russian posts and livestreams. Furthermore, TikTok developed an in-app Electoral Center in partnership with the Central Electoral Commission of Moldova and worked with Reuters and the STOP FALS!