Freewheeling TikTok calculates the time it takes to get you hooked

There are times when social media seems to know us better than we know ourselves, and to some extent, it's actually the case, which is a little scary, especially when it comes to TikTok.

A series of the company's internal documents, to which Kentucky Public Radio in the US had access, revealed that TikTok needs just 35 minutes to hook a user – the equivalent to watching 250 reels.

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If you do the math, 260 videos in 35 minutes equals 7.5 videos per minute, or less than 10 seconds per video. In short, it's all about fast consumption with a limited margin for critical thinking, which starts to suggest a massive waste of time.

In the space of just 30 minutes, TikTok will already have come up with a more or less accurate profile of you, the user, with the remaining 5 minutes enough to have you hooked.

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The company has of course calculated these timelines, and their familiarity with them is stated in their internal documents which form part of a class action lawsuit filed by 14 US attorneys general in October 2024.

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The charges against TikTok involve its alleged links to the deterioration of young people's mental health and its active and conscious participation in this slide. It is estimated that 97% of under-17s in the US use the Chinese social media app.

According to statements by TikTok in the internal documents, under-17s are their most valued demographic because "minors do not have the executive function to control their screen time."

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The compiled internal documents also contain worrying details such as a lack of interest in deleting accounts belonging to minors as well as harmful or inappropriate content that should not be reproduced.

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Furthermore, the internal documents state that Tik Tok's moderation filters do not work as well as they should, allowing a lot of restricted content to remain valid and accessible.

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In fact, the internal documents specified that the company deliberately had limited preventive measures for fear of "a drop in users", since TikTok's ultimate goal "is not to reduce the time spent".

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California Attorney General Rob Bonta did not hesitate to state in a press conference that "TikTok has intentionally and deliberately manipulated and harmed young people through its platform."

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