The Chinese social media platform known as TikTok has changed the way we interact with the internet. It has become the most popular app in the world, filled with fishing videos, cooking, skits, singing, dancing, literally everything you could possibly think of is featured on the platform. For many people around the world, TikTok is not just an app on their phone anymore, it’s their livelihood, how they communicate with their friends and how they see the world around them.
It would seem that we are at risk of having generations of young people that have formed identities in response to something that a technology platform prescribes to be the new normal. Behind the shiny videos, TikTok is leading people down dangerous paths and the issue with the app is that they are harvesting huge amounts of data illegally without the consent of children or their parents.
In this special from Four Corners we see a joint investigation with triple j we take a trip down the rabbit hole to reveal the dark side of the app, how the platform censors political content and harvests children’s data. We also see how the apps powerful algorithm exposes people to misinformation and dangerous content.
Directed by: Jeanavive McGregor , Ali Russell
TikTok has completely changed how people use social media, offering endless videos of dancing, cooking, and everything in between. But behind the fun content, there are serious issues with data privacy, especially concerning children. Many worry that young people are shaping their identities around trends that TikTok’s algorithm promotes, which can sometimes be misleading or even harmful. This investigation by Four Corners reveals how TikTok collects data without proper consent and censors certain political topics. For safer use, TikTok followers should be mindful of privacy settings, verify information, and consider taking breaks to avoid overexposure.