Amnesty International warns TikTok fails to address harmful mental health content
Amnesty International warned in May 2025 that TikTok's recommendation algorithm continues to expose young users to harmful content related to depression, suicide, extreme diets and body image issues, nearly 18 months after publishing research on the problem. TikTok has not acknowledged the specific 'black hole' issue or implemented new targeted measures, instead citing existing wellbeing features that were already in place during the original investigation.
What happened
Amnesty International published an investigation in November 2023 that found the TikTok 'For You' feed could draw children and young users into a toxic 'black hole' of content related to depression and suicide. The investigation used accounts simulating 13-year-old adolescents and found that within 20 minutes of account creation with a stated interest in mental health, more than half of the videos in the 'For You' feed related to mental health problems, with several videos in a single hour romanticizing, normalizing or encouraging suicide.
In May 2025, Amnesty International reiterated its warning that TikTok had not recognized the problem or presented specific solutions. When asked what changes had been implemented since the investigation, TikTok cited existing wellbeing measures, mostly already in place during the 2023 research, without acknowledging the 'black hole' problem or providing evidence of new specific measures.
Reported impact
Amnesty International warned of risks to mental and physical health of young users, particularly regarding concentrated content related to extreme diets and body image. The organization raised concerns about the possibility of impact on mental wellbeing, particularly of younger users exposed to such content.
Index analysis
According to Amnesty International's investigation, TikTok's invasive business model tracks everything users do on the platform to predict their interests, emotional state and wellbeing, then shows personalized content in the 'For You' feed to encourage continued browsing even when content is harmful.
Governance controls
Amnesty International called for effective protection measures to prevent at-risk users from falling into addictive usage patterns and traps of dangerous and harmful content.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.