TikTok's internal teams have acknowledged the detrimental effects of its platform on younger users but have implemented only minimal preventive measures to avoid a decline in user engagement, as revealed in documents disclosed by a U.S. public radio station on Friday. 

These documents, referenced in a subpoena from the Kentucky attorney general, are part of a lawsuit involving 13 states and Washington D.C., which accuses TikTok of negatively impacting the mental health of young users. 

The internal papers indicate TikTok's understanding of its platform's allure and the functioning of its recommendation algorithm, which provides an almost infinite stream of short videos. An unnamed executive from TikTok emphasized the importance of being "aware" of the app's influence on aspects such as "sleep, eating habits, physical movement, and eye contact." 

Kentucky Public Radio reconstructed these internal communications prior to a state judge's order to seal the documents. The lawsuit alleges that TikTok's research indicates that after viewing 260 videos, users are likely to develop an addiction to the platform. 

Furthermore, the company's studies linked "compulsive usage" to adverse mental health outcomes, including diminished analytical abilities, impaired memory formation, weakened contextual thinking, reduced conversational depth, decreased empathy, and heightened anxiety. 

Although TikTok has introduced features aimed at limiting screen time for younger users, such as parental controls and a one-hour usage timeout, the documents imply that ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, did not pursue enhancements to these tools despite being aware of their limited effectiveness. A project manager at TikTok stated, "Our goal is not to reduce the time spent" on the platform. 

In response to the release of the sealed court documents, TikTok criticized the action as "highly irresponsible," asserting that the complaint selectively quotes misleading statements and misrepresents the company's dedication to community safety. 

These state lawsuits arise as the widely-used video-sharing app faces the possibility of a ban in the United States if it continues to be owned by the China-based ByteDance.