In the United States, an unsealed lawsuit by the state of New York alleges that TikTok conducted experiments on thousands of users, including children and teenagers, providing some of them with a non-functioning version of the Algo Refresh safety tool. Users believed they had activated a feature to refresh recommendations and avoid unwanted or potentially harmful content, but their feeds did not change, Channel NewsAsia reports.
Testing Algo Refresh
According to the lawsuit, TikTok used so-called “ghost” or placebo experiments. Some users received a fully functional version of the feature, while others received its non-functioning version. The document states that the company repeatedly conducted such tests in 2023, comparing user groups to study time spent on the platform and the impact on advertising revenue.
The lawsuit also alleges that TikTok misled consumers about how Algo Refresh worked, saying that the recommendation algorithm had been reset, although the change was only temporary. According to the document, a TikTok digital well-being manager warned in an internal chat that using a placebo group contradicted the purpose of the feature, which was related to transparency and control over the algorithm.
The company’s position and the state’s case
A TikTok spokesperson said that the company regularly tests new products and features to assess user experience and how they work in real-world conditions. The company generally denied New York’s allegations in court filings and said that the safety of young users is its priority.
The lawsuit by New York State Attorney General Letitia James, filed in 2024, is one of more than two dozen lawsuits by U.S. states against TikTok. They accuse the platform of designing its service to be addictive for children and of making misleading safety claims. In September, TikTok reached an agreement with the state of Alabama in the first case set to go to trial, agreeing to pay up to $300 million and change how the platform operates for teenagers in the state.
The unsealed portions of the lawsuit also mention separate experiments during which TikTok, according to the document, accidentally disabled protective features in some users’ accounts that limited exposure to harmful content. The lawsuit says that an internal review found that a minor user from New York had been shown a large amount of material about suicide and self-harm.
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