Dragged into the rabbit hole: New evidence of TikTok’s risks to children’s mental health
Overview
In November 2023, Amnesty International published 'Driven into the Darkness', a damning report highlighting how easily children and young people expressing an interest in mental health could be drawn into “rabbit holes” of depressive and suicidal content in TikTok’s ‘For You’ feed.
This follow-up report, produced by Amnesty's International Secretariat, presents new evidence that TikTok’s ‘For You’ feed continues to push children and young people engaging with mental health content towards depressive, self‑harm and suicide‑related material.
Drawing on testimony from young people and parents in France, alongside renewed technical research, it exposes TikTok’s ongoing failure to address systemic design risks for children and calls for urgent action by the company and regulators to uphold children’s rights.
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Summary
In November 2023, Amnesty International published Driven into the Darkness, a damning report highlighting how easily children and young people expressing an interest in mental health could be drawn into “rabbit holes” of depressive and suicidal content in TikTok’s ‘For You’ feed. The research revealed how TikTok employs addictive platform design to maximize engagement, undermining the right to privacy, freedom of thought and mental and physical health.
This follow-up research presents new evidence that almost two years later, TikTok's ‘For You’ feed is still pushing children and young people engaging with mental health content into a cycle of depressive, self-harm and suicide content. Bringing together testimony from affected young people and parents in France as well as renewed technical research evidence, the briefing documents TikTok’s failure to address its systemic design risks for children and young people both under international business and human rights standards as well as under the company’s binding obligations under the EU’s Digital Services Act. It is an urgent appeal to the company itself, but also to EU and French regulators to take decisive action to force the company to respect children’s and human rights.
Download and read the full report via the link above.
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Amnesty International UK Submission to the 2026 UK consultation “Growing up in the online world: a national conversation”Amnesty International UK submission exploring social media risks for children and young people, and calling for ‘safety by design’ regulation to protect rights without limiting access.
Submission 26 May 2026 -
Driven into Darkness: How TikTok’s ‘For You’ Feed Encourages Self-Harm and Suicidal IdeationThis report explores how TikTok’s design and content targeting systems affect children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing.
Reports and publications 07 Nov 2023 -
“I Feel Exposed”: Caught in TikTok’s Surveillance WebThis report explores how TikTok’s highly personalised ‘For You’ feed, used by millions of children and young people worldwide, is driven by a surveillance‑based business model that puts children’s rights at risk.
Reports and publications 07 Nov 2023
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Amnesty defends children’s rights in the UK and globally, empowering young people to lead change through our Children’s Human Rights Network - campaigning, educating and amplifying youth voices for justice.
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