In recent legal proceedings in North Carolina regarding TikTok, a new video has been revealed as evidence. The video shows some current and former TikTok employees expressing concerns during internal meetings about the potential harm TikTok’s algorithm could cause to the mental and physical health of teenagers.
These employees’ comments sharply contrast with TikTok’s repeated claims that the platform is “safe for young people.”
According to a report by CNN on Thursday (August 21), last year, then Attorney General of North Carolina, Josh Stein, along with multiple state attorneys general, filed a lawsuit against TikTok, accusing the platform of engaging in unfair or deceptive business practices. They alleged that TikTok’s design was intended to make minors highly addictive and used deceptive tactics to attract users, especially minors, while misleading parents and children about its safety risks.
The video in question contains clips from various internal TikTok video conferences where some employees raised concerns about the safety of teenagers using TikTok. The specific timing of these meetings is currently unclear.
Earlier this week on Tuesday (August 19), North Carolina Superior Court Judge Adam Conrad ruled that the lawsuit filings and the video should not be sealed, rejecting TikTok’s motion to dismiss the case.
Former TikTok risk detection officer Nicholas Chng stated in the video, “Unfortunately, things that people find interesting are not always healthy. Due to the platform’s design, we do indeed encourage the posting of this content to some extent. Sometimes I worry about it.”
A TikTok spokesperson labeled the video as “misleading” in a statement to CNN.
The spokesperson said, “The video released by the Attorney General is a shameful manipulation, attempting to distort an internal public discussion about improving platform safety that took place at TikTok’s inception five years ago, taken entirely out of context with the aim to deceive the public and drive sensationalism.”
In another segment of the video, current TikTok Global Head of Creator Marketing and Reputation, Brett Peters, discussed the company’s “grand goal of getting people to spend more time on the app.”
He said, “The very reason we exist is to continue to diversify the content ecosystem and make TikTok a place where you can find a vast array of different content that you never want to leave.”
Current North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson stated that the video supports the state’s accusations that TikTok knowingly concealed its risks.
Jackson said in a statement to CNN, “These videos prove our point in court: social media companies are sacrificing the health of children just to maximize profits by deliberately getting them addicted.”
A TikTok spokesperson countered, stating, “Since the app launched, we have consistently built a strong record of trust and safety with over 70 safety features designed for teens and families, a fact intentionally ignored by the Attorney General.”
The lawsuit seeks financial penalties against TikTok and a court order to halt TikTok’s “unfair or deceptive practices.”
Reportedly, the statements in the video align closely with some of the allegations in the North Carolina lawsuit.
For instance, the lawsuit accuses TikTok of failing to “inform young users and parents that their top executives and employees were aware of the harm of increased screen time… disrupting basic aspects of personal life such as sufficient sleep, work, study, and contact with family.”
In the video, former TikTok Head of European Safety and Public Policy Alexandra Evans, who left in 2022, stated that the app “is embedded in compulsive use.”
“I think the reason why kids are on TikTok is its algorithm is really good,” Evans said. “It’s not because we’re trying to do anything nefarious. But I think we have to be conscious that this will affect other realms of their life, like sleep, diet, activities, walking around the room, and making eye contact.”
Another former TikTok Trust and Safety team member Ashlen Sepulveda, who left in 2021, expressed concerns about their algorithm pushing content to users based on what it believes they are interested in. She particularly worried about users searching for content related to mental health.
“For example, the more a user searches for information on fitness or diet, the more likely they are to turn it into dieting. And soon, the user’s entire feed becomes a form of soft eating disorder behavior, discussed by other users, almost impossible to escape,” she said.
Current TikTok Global Head of Creator Marketing and Reputation Peters also stated in the video, “Our expectations and goals might not necessarily align with good mental health.”
TikTok had requested to keep the video confidential to protect employee privacy, but Judge Conrad rejected this, writing in an order on Tuesday, “The association of employees with the case may bring some embarrassment, but that alone is insufficient to override public access.”
The publication of this video comes at a time when TikTok faces a risk of being banned in the United States. President Trump has extended the deadline for the execution of the “sell or ban” order to September 17.
This week, the White House activated an official TikTok account, further adding to the uncertainty surrounding Trump’s intentions regarding TikTok’s future. The Chinese government has not publicly stated whether they agree to the sale of TikTok by ByteDance.