Is TikTok Addictive?

 

“TikTok is addictive.”

Is that true? TikTok entered the U.S. market in 2018 and is owned by ByteDance. It was originally launched in China under the name Douyin. In the U.S., a similar app called Musically built the foundation for TikTok. Currently, the app is the fifth most popular app and is mostly used by 25–34-year-olds. Which I found surprising, as I mostly see Gen X or younger users on the platform. Our textbook notes that people, on average, spend more than an hour on the app per day and almost 35 hours per month.

Personally, I do not use TikTok, but I know many of my friends enjoy using the app, posting fun videos and sending me random clips. When I hear people talk about the app, they mention the fun, entertaining qualities, but also the addiction concerns. Often, I hear how they spend too much time on it or that it has worsened focus and concentration. After reading the chapter, I wanted to know more about whether what I heard about the app was true.

The app centers around short-form videos that are often eye-catching and quickly grab attention. The platform also includes ways to respond and engage through likes, comments and reshares. In an article by Brown University, it was shared that the addictive quality of the app may come from the short video structure, infinite scroll and instant dopamine that may introduce users to a flow-like state of scrolling. This state is said to cause users to experience a distorted sense of time, and the app is designed to be extremely user-friendly, which can also reduce the friction in entering that flow-like state. Also, the ‘For You’ page created by a powerful AI can be linked to the addictive qualities of the platform. TikTok’s AI algorithm focuses on users’ engagement, while other apps focus on users’ choices about the content they search and choose to see.

TikTok has become one of the fastest-growing platforms with almost 1.59 billion users and was the most downloaded app from 2019 to 2024. Its popularity stems from its unique algorithm, focused on engagement metrics and addictive qualities, such as short video formats and a never-ending content stream. The platform provides users with very little friction due to its user-friendly interface and quick, instant dopamine hits. In the article by Brown University, it mentions that these addictive elements may be eliminated; however, this has yet to be done.