Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

RT Prime Time experiment reveals disturbing content recommended to 13 year old TikTok users in Ireland

18/04/2024

In response to growing concerns raised regarding the adverse impact of TikTok content on the mental health of young teenagers, RT 's Prime Time undertook an investigative experiment creating new TikTok accounts set to an age of 13 years. The shocking findings were revealed to viewers on Tuesday on RT One and are now available on RT Player here.

The investigation sheds light on the social media platform's potentially detrimental effects on the mental health of young teenagers as within 20 minutes, Prime Time was being shown videos directly referencing self-harm and suicidal thoughts. By the end of an hour of scrolling, TikTok's recommender system was showing a stream of videos almost exclusively related to depression, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts to the users it believed to be 13 years old.

Prime Time s experiment involved the creation of three new TikTok accounts, each set with an age of 13 years old and using separate sim cards for each new user. Without actively engaging with content or searching for specific topics, Prime Time observed the videos recommended by TikTok's algorithm.

The content was then shown to the Chair of the Faculty of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry in the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland, Dr Patricia Byrne, and Dr Richard Hogan, a psychotherapist who specialises in working with families.

I work in this area every day but even for me, seeing that was very emotional and provokes a very strong, very strong emotional reaction, Dr Patricia Byrne said. I didn't expect to feel as emotional as I did watching it, but they're very powerful imagery and very intense.

Dr. Richard Hogan, a psychotherapist specialising in working with families, described his emotional response as deflated and angry. I find myself getting emotional watching that because I work with so many brilliant teenagers, so many wonderful teenagers who have been pulled into the murky world of serious mental health issues because of things like that, he added, responding to one of the videos referencing suicide. It is absolutely suggesting suicide as a course to deal with your psychological upset there. I mean, that is, that is heinous, he told Prime Time.

The investigation's findings underscore the need for action to address the harmful impact of social media algorithms on vulnerable young users. Representatives from TikTok will today meet in front of an Oireachtas Children's Committee, while at the weekend T naiste Miche l Martin stated in his Ard Fheis speech that social media platforms must get children off their apps.

Statistics about rates of self-harm in Ireland are compiled by the National Suicide Research Foundation, however, they only cover instances which result in people attending emergency departments. Since 2002, when the foundation began collating the data, there has been an increase in the number of presentations to emergency departments by approximately 18%. What particularly concerns consultants is the high and growing numbers of teenagers presenting.

What we know is that every year the age group that has the highest rate of self-harm is those aged 15 to 19 years but of huge concern is, over recent years, the age group with the most rapid increase in rates in self-harm is those aged 10 to 14 years. And that is really a worrying sign, said Dr Patricia Byrne.

TikTok's algorithm, which drives users towards content, has come under scrutiny. Salvatore Romano, Head of Research at AI Forensics, emphasised the algorithm's role in promoting self-harm as a coping mechanism, exacerbating distress for vulnerable individuals. AI Forensics, a Portugal-based research organisation, carried out a similar exercise as part of a report examining the impact of TikTok on teens in the US, Kenya and Philippines with Amnesty International in 2023.

In response to queries from Prime Time, TikTok stated its commitment to addressing mental health issues and providing support for users in distress. However, concerns persist regarding the platform's efficacy in safeguarding young users from harmful content. After conducting the experiment, Prime Time gave TikTok the usernames of the accounts set up which allowed TikTok to have access to all the videos that had been shown to the accounts and also provided screenshots from ten example videos. Seven of these videos have since been removed however TikTok said RT 's test in no way accurately represents the behaviour or experiences of real teens who use our app Out of hundreds of videos that would've been seen during RT 's testing, we reviewed ten that were sent to us and made changes so that seven can no longer be viewed by teenagers.

The European Commission recently launched an investigation into TikTok's practices, focusing on the platform's alleged failure to adequately protect children. With TikTok's EU headquarters located in Dublin, Coimisi n na Me n, holds significant responsibility for regulating the platform's operations within the EU. Johnny Ryan, Senior Fellow at the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) said: Our regulator, Coimisi n na Me n, has the power in law to tell TikTok or any other company in this same category, stop your algorithm that is hurting our kids, that is causing self-loathing, self-hate, suicide in our children. Switch that off.' And it has the power to do that.

Watch Prime Time on RT Player and read the digital report at RT .ie/Primetime.

The programme will also feature an exclusive interview with American immunologist Anthony Fauci.
LINK: https://about.rte.ie/2024/04/18/rte-prime-time-experiment-reveals-dist...
See more stories from rte

Europe Stories

04/09/2025

Monumental Sports & Entertainment and Dalet Win Prestigious 2025 NAB Show Project of the Year Award

Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...

08/05/2025

Expected weak market dynamics weigh on business development in the first three months 2025

As expected, continued weak demand from key sales markets and declining economic...

08/05/2025

BBC announces Agatha Christie's Endless Night, adapted by Sarah Phelps

A new three-part series is coming to BBC iPlayer and BBC One (Image: The Christie Archive Trust) The BBC has announced Agatha Christie's Endless Night, a...

08/05/2025

VEON Shareholders Re-elect Board at 2025 AGM, Founder Augie Fabela to Serve as Chairman

08 May 2025 VEON Shareholders Re-elect Board at 2025 AGM, Founder Augie Fabela ...

08/05/2025

Will Mellor & Ralf Little return to U&Dave for more Will & Ralf Should Know Better

Comedy and entertainment channel U&Dave bring back their #1 ranked programme of ...

08/05/2025

TenneT Relies on Arvato Systems for Market Communications

TenneT relies on Arvato Systems for market communication Energy industry: Impressive market communication know-how and system integration expertise G tersloh...

08/05/2025

2025-05-08

When Taiki Hamamoto, 22, came across a Hanafuda deck at his local game shop, he was intrigued. He had grown up playing the traditional Japanese card game with f...

08/05/2025

Joe Duffy hangs up his mic on Liveline as he confirms Retirement from RT after 37 Years

The Liveline is now open , said Joe Duffy earlier today, as he previewed this af...

08/05/2025

RT reveals first look at comedy drama The Walsh Sisters, based on novels of Marian Keyes

RT , in association with the BBC, Screen Ireland and Cineflix Rights has reveale...

07/05/2025

Experience a New Dimension of Music Discovery With More Controls and Enhanced Tools

Discovering music should feel effortless and fun. That's why Spotify continu...

07/05/2025

FOX Doubles Down on the Laughs Renewing Comedies Animal Control, Starring Joel McHale, and Going Dutch, Starring Denis Leary

FOX Doubles Down on the Laughs Renewing Comedies Animal Control, Starring Joel M...

07/05/2025

VEON's QazCode Signs MoU with Seekr to Develop AI-Powered Solutions to Drive Digital Growth

07 May 2025 VEON's QazCode Signs MoU with Seekr to Develop AI-Powered Solut...

07/05/2025

U&GOLD commissions feature-length documentary celebrating the life of Victoria Wood

UKTV has ordered a feature length documentary celebrating the life of Britain...

07/05/2025

Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom to join Sky Original film slate in 2026

Wednesday 7 May 2025 Shaun the Sheep fans are in for a baaaarilliant treat in 2...

07/05/2025

Rohde & Schwarz to highlight innovative broadcast technologies at CABSAT 2025

Rohde & Schwarz to highlight innovative broadcast technologies at CABSAT 2025 Rohde & Schwarz will showcase its latest energy-efficient transmitters and 5G Br...

07/05/2025

MPTS. London. May 14-15, 2025

The Importance of Workflow Efficiencies in Post-Production Wednesday, 14 May 14:40 FilmLight sits down with Sam Lempp, head of business development for Nara, ...

07/05/2025

RT Announces Fergal O'Brien as new Business Correspondent

RT News is pleased to announce the appointment of RT journalist, Fergal O'Brien, as its new Business Correspondent. In his new role, Fergal will be repor...

06/05/2025

Spotify Amplifies Colombia's Booming Local Music Scene With Sbele a Eso' Initiative

In Colombia, music isn't just background noise-it's center stage. It'...

06/05/2025

La nueva apuesta de Spotify para destacar la msica local en Colombia: Sbele a Eso'

En Colombia, la m sica no suena de fondo: es el centro del escenario. Es el cora...

06/05/2025

Spotify Introduces Plays, a New Way To See What Content Is Resonating With Podcast Fans

At Spotify, we always seek ways to connect users with their next favorite podcas...

06/05/2025

In Mumbai, Our Public Affairs Chief, Dustee Jenkins, Spotlights the Role of Spotify in the Growth of India's Music Industry

Since Spotify's 2019 launch in India, the growth of the country's local ...

06/05/2025

Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida Enhances Intercom Infrastructure with Clear-Com and...

eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...

06/05/2025

Comscore Reports First Quarter 2025 Results

Comscore Reports First Quarter 2025 ResultsRESTON, Va., May 6, 2025 Comscore, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCOR), a trusted partner for planning, transacting and evaluating ...

06/05/2025

KLA to perform live on RT Radio 1's Arena with exclusive preview of new album, Raise the Road

Live from Studio 1 at 7pm, Tuesday May 6 Iconic trad-fusion group K LA will be ...

06/05/2025

Rohde & Schwarz hosts RF Testing Innovations Forum 2025, helping design engineers elevate their RF expertise

Rohde & Schwarz hosts RF Testing Innovations Forum 2025, helping design engineer...

06/05/2025

IBM Accelerates Enterprise Gen AI Revolution with Hybrid Capabilities

LONDON, UK, May 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today at the company s annual THINK event, IBM (NYSE: IBM) is unveiling new hybrid technologies that break down the long...

06/05/2025

2025-03-18

Apple today introduced Tap to Pay on iPhone in Bulgaria, Finland, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Switzerland, enabling millio...

06/05/2025

2025-05-06

Ahead of Pride Month, Apple is introducing a new Apple Watch Pride Edition Sport Band, watch face, and iPhone and iPad wallpaper to celebrate the strength and b...

06/05/2025

Tracks & Trails returns for a fresh new season

First episode airs this Friday at 8pm on RT One and RT Player with Doireann N Ghlac in presenting Guests include Barry Murphy, Brooke Scullion, Bryan Dobso...

05/05/2025

Loreen, Nemo, and More Reimagine Eurovision Anthems for Spotify Singles

As Europe gears up for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, Spotify is celebrating the spirit of unity and musical legacy with a new series of Spotify Singles. Fiv...

05/05/2025

Closure of SGL Carbon production site in Lavradio

As part of the restructuring of its loss-making Carbon Fibers business unit, SGL Carbon has decided to close its production site in Lavradio (Portugal). Lavradi...

05/05/2025

Comscore Launches Certified Deal IDs in Magnite's SSP, Bringing Trusted Content Rankings to Programmatic Buying

Comscore Launches Certified Deal IDs in Magnite's SSP, Bringing Trusted Cont...

02/05/2025

Following Landmark Court Ruling, Spotify Submits New App Update to Apple to Benefit U.S. Consumers

Updated May 2: In a victory for consumers, artists, creators, and authors, Apple...

02/05/2025

Spotify and FC Barcelona Collab With Travis Scott on a Special Cactus Jack Shirt and Exclusive Concert

Since 2022, Spotify and FC Barcelona have brought the worlds of music and footba...

02/05/2025

Spotify Sparks UK Returns To Bring Together Advertisers and Creators

With more than 678 million users worldwide tuned in to Spotify, we're at the heart of music and culture. Our unrivaled global community of artists, songwrit...

02/05/2025

IBM partners with Data Communications Company to Advance Great Britain's Smart Meter Network

Data Communications Company has announced its partnership with IBM to modernise ...

02/05/2025

Comscore at the 20th Annual Needham Technology, Media, & Consumer Conference

Comscore at the 20th Annual Needham Technology, Media, & Consumer Conference RESTON, Va., May 2 2025: Comscore (Nasdaq: SCOR), a trusted partner for planning, t...

02/05/2025

VEON to release 1Q25 trading update on May 15, 2025

02 May 2025 VEON to release 1Q25 trading update on May 15, 2025 Dubai, May 2, 2025 - VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON), a global digital operator, today confirms that t...

02/05/2025

2025-05-01

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today announced financial results for its fiscal 2025 second quarter ended March 29, 2025. The Company posted quarterly revenue of $...

02/05/2025

New RT Series Uncharted with Ray Goggins pushes well-known faces to their limits

Well-known faces pushed to their limits in Uncharted with Ray Goggins...

01/05/2025

Safety, media freedom and integrity top agenda for World Press Freedom Day

As Tanzania approaches a pivotal election year marked by both promise and concern over the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on media, more than 300 journa...

01/05/2025

Best in Class' Touts the Anthems That Defined Student Listening in Celebration of This Year's 2025 College Graduates

After four years of lectures, study sessions, exams, and parties, college senior...

01/05/2025

DiGiCo Announces ATEC Pro as new distributor for Austria

Prochazka knows the power of relationships, so it has always been important to him that ATEC Pro be renowned for more than just supplying great equipment. Becom...

01/05/2025

Leinster v Northampton the highlight of another huge weekend of free-to-air sport across RT

Munster and Connacht Football Finals onThe Sunday Game Live Final two days of t...

01/05/2025

Putting the DPA 2017 to the voiceover test

Voice actor and producer Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff shares his first impressions of the DPA 2017 Shotgun Microphone, from real-world auditions to side-by-side compa...

01/05/2025

Toto take DiGiCo Quantum 852 and Quantum 338 on world

With my previous console, Freeman recalls, I always had to run a Waves server for EQ and compression, but when I switched to DiGiCo, I found it was such an op...

01/05/2025

Brand new culinary showdown comes to RT Player

Stream all episodes ofLook Who's Hangry from April 29 An RT Player Original in partnership with Heinz...

01/05/2025

Tnaiste Simon Harris, Lottie Ryan and Boyzlife among guests on Friday's Late Late Show

Here is your host, Patrick Kielty! T naiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and T...