TikTok: A Double-Edged Sword for Mental Health

Highlights:

TikTok's algorithm can both benefit and harm users' mental health
While many users found community and mental health information on TikTok, the algorithm frequently exposed them to damaging content
Users need to be mindful of how the TikTok algorithm works and its potential impact on their well-being

With the rise of TikTok, many individuals have been concerned about its possible societal implications, particularly on mental health. According to a first-of-its-kind study conducted by computer science experts at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, the social media platform and its unique algorithm can serve as both a haven and a barrier for users who are dealing with their mental health.

The findings of the researchers' research will be published in the proceedings of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. They will present their findings at the upcoming conference, which will take place from April 23 to April 28.

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TikTok's Algorithm and Mental Health Implications

The University of Minnesota researchers discovered, through interviews with TikTok users, that the platform offered many people a sense of self-discovery and community that they could not obtain on other social media platforms. The TikTok algorithm, however, showed a concerning tendency to frequently expose people to content that could be damaging to their mental health, according to the researchers.

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TikTok Users Find Self-Discovery and Community on the Platform

“TikTok is misunderstood by people who don't use the platform,” explained Stevie Chancellor, senior author of the paper and an assistant professor in the University of Minnesota Department of Computer Science & Engineering. “They think of it as the dance platform or the place where everybody gets an ADHD diagnosis. Our research shows that TikTok helps people find community and mental health information. But, people should also be mindful of its algorithm, how it works, and when the system is providing them things that are harmful to their wellbeing.”

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TikTok's Algorithm: A Barrier to Mental Health

TikTok differs from other social media platforms in that it is primarily powered by a recommender system algorithm, which displays videos it believes you would enjoy on your "For You Page" stream rather than postings from accounts you follow. While this can be beneficial in terms of presenting you with more stuff that you enjoy, it can also lead to a rabbit hole of unpleasant content that is nearly impossible to escape from, according to the study.

“TikTok is a huge platform for mental health content,” said Ashlee Milton, first author of the paper and a University of Minnesota computer science and engineering Ph.D. student. “People tend to gravitate toward social media to find information and other people who are going through similar situations. A lot of our participants talked about how helpful this mental health information was. But at some point, because of the way the feed works, it’s just going to keep giving you more and more of the same content. And that’s when it can go from being helpful to being distressing and triggering.”

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Negative Content Spirals and the 'Not Interested' Button Is Not Helpful

The researchers discovered that when people become trapped in damaging spirals of negative content, there is often no way out. Although the TikTok interface features a 'Not interested' button, study participants said that it made no impact on the information displayed in their feeds.

Participants in the study also stated that it's impossible to tell whether TikTok creators are actually producing emotional or dramatic mental health content or if they're merely 'chasing clout' to obtain more followers and likes. Because of the stress it generated, several participants were forced to take breaks or discontinue using the platform entirely.

Importance of Recognizing TikTok's Impact on Mental Health

All of this, according to the University of Minnesota experts, does not imply that TikTok is wicked. However, they stated that it is important information to keep in mind when utilizing the site, particularly for mental health concerns.

“One of our participants jokingly referred to the For You page as a ‘dopamine slot machine',” Milton said. “They talked about how they would keep scrolling just so that they could get to a good post because they didn't want to end on a bad post. It’s important to be able to recognize what is happening and say, ‘Okay, let's not do that.’”

This is the first in a series of papers that Chancellor and Milton intend to publish on social media, TikTok, and mental health.

Addressing Harmful Behaviors on Social Media Platforms

“Ashlee and I are interested in how platforms may promote harmful behaviors to a person so that eventually, we can design strategies to mitigate those bad outcomes,” Chancellor said. “The first step in this process is interviewing people to make sure we understand their experiences on TikTok. We need insights from people before we as computer scientists go in and design to fix this problem.”

Source-Medindia