Amnesty Report Warns TikTok’s Algorithm Exposes French Teens to Harmful Mental Health Content

Amnesty Report Warns TikTok’s Algorithm Exposes French Teens to Harmful Mental Health Content
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New research by Amnesty International has found that TikTok’s algorithm-driven “For You” feed is exposing children and young people in France to harmful content related to depression, self-harm, and suicide, Amnesty International reported. The investigation, titled “Dragged into the Rabbit Hole,” highlights how quickly the platform can lead vulnerable users into cycles of toxic and dangerous material.

According to the study, teenage test accounts expressing interest in mental health topics were shown increasingly distressing videos within hours. “Within just three to four hours, accounts were exposed to videos that romanticized suicide or discussed methods to end life,” said Lisa Dittmer, Amnesty’s researcher on digital rights for children and young people.

The findings were based on experiments using accounts registered as 13-year-olds in France, which began encountering depressive content within minutes of scrolling. Amnesty also collaborated with the Algorithmic Transparency Institute to test automated accounts, revealing that TikTok’s recommendation system doubled the share of sad or depressive videos when users had previously viewed similar content.

The report includes testimonies from affected youth and bereaved parents, who described how TikTok’s algorithm normalized self-harm and suicidal ideation. One 18-year-old participant recalled being drawn into “a spiral of depressive and self-harm content” that worsened her mental health.

Parents, including those who lost children to suicide, accused TikTok of exploiting young users’ emotions for engagement and failing to remove dangerous content despite repeated reports. Researchers also discovered videos promoting the so-called “lip balm challenge,” which evolved into a trend encouraging self-harm and suicide.

Amnesty says such examples expose major failings in TikTok’s content moderation and risk mitigation under the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA). Katia Roux, Amnesty France’s advocacy officer, urged the European Commission to take binding action, stating that TikTok’s “addictive design and engagement-based model” violate children’s rights and EU regulations.