According to a current study, TikTok exposes teenagers to hazardous content about eating disorders and self-harm every 39 seconds.

Information regarding eating disorders, self-harm, and sexual assault are among the damaging content, according to a report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH).

By creating brand-new accounts for 13-year-olds in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada, the CCDH researchers examined TikTok’s algorithm. The nickname of one of these accounts shows a person who is self-conscious about their appearance.

For the first 30 minutes of the trial, the researchers recorded and liked any videos about eating disorders, mental health issues, or body image that were suggested by the app’s algorithm on the “For You” stream. The frequency with which body image, mental health, self-harm, and eating disorders were mentioned in the recordings was then observed.

In order to attain more precise results, the CCDH study created “standard teen” and “vulnerable teen” profiles. Research from the tech reform organization Reset served as the foundation for the “Vulnerable Teen Accounts” used in the study.