Two U.S. senators have issued a deadline for TikTok to respond to inquiries regarding a troubling experiment where a safety feature was disabled for 15 million users, including a teenager who subsequently died by suicide.
Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) sent a letter to TikTok’s CEO, Shou Chew, and Adam Presser, who heads the company’s U.S. operations, labeling the company’s actions as “depraved.”
Reports indicate that TikTok deliberately turned off a protective algorithm for a segment of 10% of its U.S. users to form a control group for a study. This safeguard was intended to shield users from potentially harmful content, but TikTok aimed to see if its absence would make the app more engaging, prompting the experiment.
Among the users affected in the control group was 16-year-old Chase Nasca, who was served a stream of videos focusing on themes of sadness, suicide, and isolation prior to his tragic death by suicide.
The senators are seeking answers to 13 specific questions about the experiment, including the identities of all employees aware of the study and the rationale behind allowing minors to participate in the control group. Additionally, they want a comprehensive list of all algorithmic experiments conducted in the U.S. where a safety feature was either disabled or postponed. The deadline for TikTok to provide this information is set for September 1.
At this time, TikTok has not responded to requests for comment.
