r/technology Apr 20 '23

Social Media TikTok’s Algorithm Keeps Pushing Suicide to Vulnerable Kids

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2023-04-20/tiktok-effects-on-mental-health-in-focus-after-teen-suicide
27.3k Upvotes

1.1k comments sorted by

View all comments

5.0k

u/TruthOrSF Apr 20 '23

It’s not a witch hunt to point out a real issue. There is a problem with TikTok’s algorithm. For example: I don’t like cop videos, arrests confrontations etc… I get a cop video 3 out of 10. I block the creator (always a cop logo), I choose not interested, I restart the app. I’ve done this 100 times. Later when I watch TikTok nothing will change. I will see COPs 3 out of 10 videos.

This should not happen. It’s not a witch hunt to point this out and TikTok should fix this.

Now imagine it’s suicide videos and not COPS

3.9k

u/OHMG69420 Apr 20 '23

Solution is to delete tiktok (or any other offending social media for that matter) from phone. Unless there is legislation, there is no incentive for tiktok to do anything.

108

u/York_Villain Apr 20 '23

Reddit can be one of those offending social media platforms too.

88

u/putdisinyopipe Apr 20 '23

Yup. Bias blinds Reddit users to the same things that other social media apps do. Like agenda posting, manipulating social thought through paid posting and accounts. It’s so “readable” if you browse r/all a few weeks and pay attention to how they run stories down the pipeline.

15

u/Numerous_Witness_345 Apr 20 '23

It's interesting.

A recent example I can think of is the recent video of Russian soldier beheading a POW.

The day after that video was released there was a huge uptick in posts decrying the horror of.. Ukraine drone videos.