Study: TikTok’s ‘For You’ suggestions can be dangerous for some women

Researchers laid much of the blame at the feet of TikTok’s ‘For You’ page algorithm for its susceptibility to promote damaging content. — Photo by Andrik Langfield on Unsplash

Researchers analysed TikTok’s “For You” suggestions and discovered the page’s algorithm may be contributing to a significant issue for female users. It’s making some women dislike their own bodies.

Australian researchers surveyed 273 women between 18 and 28 years old from July-October 2021 on their use of the social media platform. The participants were shown “pro-anorexia” photos and monitored their responses. In as little as 10 minutes of scrolling, participants were negatively affected.