Greek Study Links TikTok's AI Algorithms to Addiction and Mental Health Issues in Young People

Thumbnail Image

The information displayed in the AIM should not be reported as representing the official views of the OECD or of its member countries.

A University of Athens study found that nearly half of Greeks under 30 show addiction symptoms to TikTok, an AI-driven platform. Excessive use, averaging 2.3 hours daily, is linked to increased anxiety, depression, and sleep problems, highlighting the mental health impact of AI-powered recommendation systems.[AI generated]

Why's our monitor labelling this an incident or hazard?

TikTok is an AI-powered social media platform that uses AI algorithms to recommend content and engage users. The study shows that this AI-driven platform's use has led to significant mental health harms (anxiety, depression, sleepiness) among a large user group, especially young people. The harms are directly linked to the AI system's role in fostering addictive use patterns. Hence, the event meets the criteria for an AI Incident because the AI system's use has indirectly caused injury or harm to health (harm category a).[AI generated]
AI principles
Human wellbeing
Industries
Media, social platforms, and marketing
Affected stakeholders
Consumers
Harm types
Psychological
Business function:
Marketing and advertisement
AI system task:
Organisation/recommenders

Articles about this incident or hazard