A shocking RTÉ Prime Time investigation into the impact TikTok is having on the mental health of young teenagers will air on Tuesday evening.
Without actively engaging with content or searching for specific topics, Prime Time observed the videos recommended by TikTok's algorithm. Dr. Richard Hogan, a psychotherapist specialising in working with families, described his emotional response as "deflated" and "angry". "It is absolutely suggesting suicide as a course to deal with your psychological upset there. I mean, that is, that is heinous.”
“What we know is that every year, the age group that has the highest rate of self-harm is those aged 15 to 19 years but of huge concern is, over recent years, the age group with the most rapid increase in rates in self-harm is those aged 10 to 14 years. And that is really a worrying sign,” said Dr Patricia Byrne.
However, concerns persist regarding the platform's efficacy in safeguarding young users from harmful content. After experimenting, Prime Time gave TikTok the usernames of the accounts set up, which allowed TikTok to have access to all the videos that had been shown to the accounts and also provided screenshots from ten example videos.