Documents released during the ongoing lawsuit also show ByteDance knew that screen time controls designed to protect children were ineffective, 9to5mac reported.

Leaked documents reveal a specific figure: 260 videos. According to ByteDance’s research, watching that many videos for about 35 minutes is enough to form a habit, especially considering that TikTok videos are typically short, around 8 seconds long, and played in quick succession. Researchers claim that watching videos so quickly leads to instant addiction in children.

It was also noted that the TikTok company is aware of the negative impact of the application on the mental and social development of children. The company’s internal research has linked compulsive use of TikTok to problems such as memory impairment, decreased analytical and contextual thinking, decreased empathy, and increased anxiety.

Platform use is also associated with sleep disturbances and difficulty making meaningful connections with other people.

Restrictive measures are ineffective

TikTok’s implemented screen time control tool, which is expected to help limit usage, is also under review. It sets a 60-minute limit by default, but ByteDance’s data shows this doesn’t have much of an impact.

Before the launch of the tool, teenagers spent an average of 108.5 minutes per day in the application, and only after that this indicator decreased slightly to 107 minutes. Critics say this shows the ineffectiveness of TikTok’s efforts and reinforces the view that the feature is a PR stunt rather than a real solution to addiction.

court delay

ByteDance is currently engaged in legal battles in both the US and Europe, including lawsuits filed by attorneys general in 13 US states and the District of Columbia. The lawsuits accuse TikTok of violating consumer protection laws and contributing to a growing mental health crisis among young people.

Attorneys general are trying to force TikTok to change certain features of the app that they believe are harmful and manipulative to young people. During the hearing, ByteDance’s internal documents, which were supposed to be confidential, were accidentally released due to improper editing.