Allegedly, TikTok’s recommendations to kids in China (who owns and controls TikTok) are very different to the recommendations kids in the West get. Something Western governments must look into ASAP.
https://mp-weixin-qq-com.translate.goog/s/zp43DhzwanDApoPCIg...
> If you are a real-name authenticated user under the age of 14, you can find that you are already in the youth mode when you open Douyin. You can only use it for 40 minutes a day, and you cannot use it from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 the next day.
> In the youth mode, we have also prepared wonder-ful content for you, such as novel and interesting science experiments, exhibitions in museums and art galleries, beautiful scenery all over the country, historical knowledge explanations, etc.
(Source that that's a legitimate press release: https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/19/22682219/tiktok-parent-by...)
Edit: Forgot to clarify that Douyin is the name of TikTok's original Chinese version, so these quotes are from their press release.
Tiktok America is entertainment only.
The theory is that China is poisoning the minds of young Americans by not developing interests in educational things.
> The theory is that China is poisoning the minds of young Americans by not developing interests in educational things
It makes as much sense as saying that the US is trying to make Chinese people fat by serving high calorie empty nutrient foods in McDonalds and Starbucks stores in China.
Chinese users are interested in junk just as much as westerners, if not more, so they will be fed exactly what keeps them glued to their phones.
I don’t believe for a second that every Chinese kid is on Douyin watching science videos for hours.
[1]: https://www.vice.com/en/article/pgzamm/chinas-live-streaming...