Creators on TikTok and elsewhere are used to hearing about algorithm changes, monetization rules and new content policies. The updates are often made based on pressure from the public or from the brands that use the platform. Now pressure is coming from the government, not in the form of legislation but through lawsuits meant to force change.
TikTok has agreed to pay Alabama $100 million to settle a lawsuit over the platform’s impact on children. The settlement also includes new restrictions on how minors can use TikTok, including limits on daily screen time and access during certain hours.
Alabama’s lawsuit argued that TikTok’s features were intentionally designed to encourage addictive use. TikTok has disputed similar allegations and says it has robust tools aimed at protecting teens. The case is settled financially, but the debate is ongoing and the solutions are a work in progress.
The engagement machine
Features like autoplay, endless scrolling, personalized recommendations, notifications and engagement-driven algorithms are part of what makes social media so effective for creators. They help people discover content and keep watching it. That effectiveness is what translates to addictive behavior for many users.
It isn’t necessarily an accidental side effect of platform design, either. Leaked documents in another legal dispute indicate that some platforms are aware of the concerns and have ignored the information.
In any business, the goal is usually to strive for better results than last month and last year. In the creator economy, that means reaching more viewers, reaching them sooner, getting more engagement and increasing profits. The designers and developers are part of those conversations, ensuring that the next updates meet those new targets.
As with anything that has a broad impact on society, when it starts getting too deep, lawmakers and regulators push for change. In this case, TikTok will pay a hefty settlement and place time limits on children.
We’ll all have to wait to see what the next lawsuit brings, but chances are good that we won’t have to wait very long.