New York Lawsuit Alleges TikTok Tested Fake Safety Features on Children

New York alleges TikTok gave children and teenagers nonfunctional versions of its Algo Refresh safety feature, leaving video recommendations unchanged even though users believed they had reset them. The claims emerged in court documents examining the company’s safety experiments.

TikTok’s Algo Refresh Experiment Under Scrutiny

According to Reuters, thousands of users took part in tests of Algo Refresh, which resets personalised video recommendations. Some received a placebo version, while others used the functioning tool.

The experiments form part of New York’s lawsuit accusing TikTok of misleading users about safety protections and encouraging addictive behaviour among minors. The claims remain unresolved in court.

TikTok Defends Its Safety Testing

TikTok told Reuters that it regularly tests features to assess how they perform in real-world conditions. The company described the experiments as part of its efforts to improve the platform.

The case is among more than two dozen state lawsuits challenging TikTok’s child safety practices. The filings do not establish that the Algo Refresh experiments caused specific individual harms.

Earlier Experiment Drew Lawmaker Scrutiny

In August, Bloomberg reported that U.S. senators questioned a separate experiment that allegedly withheld a safety feature from approximately 15 million American users.

Those users reportedly included a teenager who later died by suicide, although no causal connection was established. Lawmakers sought explanations about the experiment and its potential effects on minors.