Sealed TikTok court documents show time limit tool effectively did nothing to reduce teen usage, NPR reports

By Jordan Valinsky, CNN

New York (CNN) — A screen-time limit tool on TikTok doesn’t work in limiting teen usage, the company’s own analysis reportedly found, according to in unredacted documents accidentally revealed as part of a major lawsuit.

The documents, obtained by Kentucky Public Radio (KPR) and reported in conjunction with NPR, reveal TikTok executives “speaking candidly about a host of dangers for children” on the video-sharing app, the outlets reported Friday, including time management tools that barely work to reduce time spent on the app.

One issue revolves around TikTok’s effects on teenagers scrolling on the app for several hours, which could be harmful to their mental health. Following public scrutiny about the app’s effects on vulnerable people, TikTok released time management tools for users under 18 years old. For example, if a 60-minute limit is reached, users are prompted to enter a passcode requiring them to make an active decision to extend their time on the app.

In the internal documents obtained by NPR and KPR, TikTok executives measured the tool’s usefulness on the basis of its ability to improve “public trust in the TikTok platform via media coverage” instead of whether it was actually reducing time using the app.

A quote from a TikTok project manager in the documents said that its “goal is not to reduce the time spent,” and another employee said the goal is to “contribute to DAU [daily active users] and retention” of users.

The tool only accounted for a 1.5 minute decease in daily usage, and the company didn’t attempt to fix the issue, the 14 attorneys general said in a lawsuit filed earlier this week.

TikTok has also deployed videos encouraging users to take breaks. However, one executive in the documents called them “useful in a good talking point” with lawmakers and admitted that “they’re not altogether effective.”

“Unfortunately, this complaint cherry-picks misleading quotes and takes outdated documents out of context to misrepresent our commitment to community safety,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement to CNN. “We have robust safeguards, which include proactively removing suspected underage users, and we have voluntarily launched safety features such as default screentime limits, family pairing, and privacy by default for minors under 16. We stand by these efforts.”

On Tuesday, a bipartisan group of 14 attorneys general from across the country filed lawsuits against TikTok, alleging that the platform has “addicted” young people and harmed their mental health.

The lawsuits take issue with various elements of the TikTok platform, including its endlessly scrolling feed of content, TikTok “challenge” videos that sometimes encourage users to engage in risky behavior and late-night push notifications that the attorneys general claim can disrupt kids’ sleep.

Friday’s report from NPR and KPR came after the Kentucky Attorney General’s office accidentally filed unredacted versions of its legal filing against TikTok. A state judge later sealed the complaint “to ensure that any settlement documents and related information, confidential commercial and trade secret information, and other protected information was not improperly disseminated,” NPR said.

“We strongly disagree with these claims, many of which we believe to be inaccurate and misleading,” TikTok spokesperson Alex Haurek said in a previous statement. “We’re proud of and remain deeply committed to the work we’ve done to protect teens and we will continue to update and improve our product. We provide robust safeguards, proactively remove suspected underage users, and have voluntarily launched safety features.”

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CNN’s Clare Duffy contributed to this report.