Friend,

The digital world is now an inextricable part of our lives: it has changed the way we communicate, learn, and connect with others. Everyone should be able to access online spaces without being exposed to harm and dangerous misinformation.

Especially young people. But time and again, our research has shown that it isn't always the case. Away from parents’ watch, TikTok is hosting videos that could seriously harm kids and teens’ health.

Our research showed that TikTok is turning a blind eye to videos that promote the sale of steroids and steroid-like drugs, substances that are illegal for human consumption under US law. By letting influencers glorify harmful bodybuilding drugs to their millions of young followers, TikTok is enabling this toxic trade.

And it doesn’t stop there. Last December, we set up fake accounts of 13-year-old girls to investigate TikTok’s algorithms. The results were disturbing - TikTok recommended harmful videos about body image and mental health every 39 seconds. The platform also bombards teens with videos on eating disorders and suicide.

What are we doing to change this?

• We created a free guide for parents to understand the platforms that shape their kids’ minds and to learn how to talk openly about social media.

• We designed the STAR Framework to help governments and legislators reform social media and create a healthier online environment.

• We’re pushing TikTok to implement changes. After our research came out, the company decided to take steps to make the platform safer for young people - but it still isn’t enough. We’ll keep pressuring TikTok.

These are two of the several studies we’ve conducted that highlights how social media’s algorithms can hurt people and why regulation is needed to tackle the problem.

Best wishes,

The CCDH Team