- Former TikTok staffers linked the platform to dangerous behaviour in interviews with the BBC.
- The network cited four cases, including obsession with true crime, school vandalism, and riots.
Former TikTok staff said they thought the platform was unconcerned about its role fueling riots and other anti-social behavior by boosting certain topics, the BBC reported.
The network cited two former workers — one who was a content moderator and another who was a data analyst — who both said the algorithm driving the app encouraged reckless behavior.
The BBC gave only first names for the two sources, and said it had spoke to "several" in total, who held a similar view.
In a response to the BBC, TikTok contested that its algorithm could be blamed for real-world harm, and listed features it said limit the spread of inflammatory content.
The TikTok spokesperson also sent a statement to Insider, saying its systems are meant to "prioritize safety."
The platform also argued that traditional media reporting can be blamed for some kinds of real-world harm, citing instances like the non-existent "TikTok boat jumping challenge" where journalists amplified a few isolated posts into something viral.
In interviews with the BBC, the former TikTok staff attributed some of the real-world harm to the platform prioritizing engagement even when it presents risks. They said it's a more acute problem for TikTok than other networks since its users are more likely to get more deeply involved in trends.
The BBC cited for instances where TikTok interest appeared to drive dangerous or unpleasant behavior in real life:
- The furore around a group of students being killed in Idaho
- A missing-person case in the UK where the woman was found dead
- A spate of vandalism in UK schools
- Recent rioting in France
In November 2022, amateur sleuths became obsessed with the killing of four students in Idaho, with videos about the case racking up 2 billion views on TikTok, the BBC reported. This led to people being falsely accused of the murders, because TikTok users thought they had cracked the case.
The missing-person case was that of Nicola Bulley, which spread across TikTok in January, driving intense interest among TikTokers. Some even descended on the town where Bulley vanished to gather their own evidence to post.
One man, Curtis Arnold, was arrested after being filming her body, and was banned from making more posts about Bulley. Arnold argued that his actions were lawful and in June said he'd take action against the police, per a report from the Daily Mail.
The BBC investigation also cited disruption at schools in the UK in March. The violence saw students smashing windows, throwing tables, and lighting trees on fire as forms of protest against rules over bathroom breaks and skirt lengths, according to a report in the UK's Observer newspaper.
The former content moderator told the BBC said that TikTok's viral reach prompted different groups of students to try to outdo each other, turning the disruption into a "competition about who can up the other schools and make it more extreme."
Similarly, TikTok, as well as Snapchat and other platforms, were blamed for ramping up the intensity of riots in France in June over police fatally shooting a teenager. France's President Emmanuel Macron at the time said social media played a "considerable role" in encouraging violence.
The former data-analyst told the BBC he never heard the company "proactively prevent" dangerous content from blowing up.
"They don't want to stand in the way of entertainment growing quickly on their platform," he said.
TikTok has often distanced itself from off-platform behavior, and has repeatedly pointed out that it removes content that encourages harmful behavior.
The TikTok spokesperson told Insider that it was false to claim that it doesn't proactively limit content that violates its guidelines.
"Our recommendation system is designed to prioritize safety, suggesting a range of content," they said, "proactively interrupting repetitive patterns and reducing the reach of videos containing unverified information."
The statement said TikTok has 40,000 people working to keep the platform safe, and often catch videos before they receive a single view.