Four Corners and Triple J Collabed For a TikTok Investigation: Here’s What We Learnt

Trigger warning: this article discusses eating disorders, racism and suicide.

More than a billion users scroll through TikTok each month, and though many of those users in Australia have found funny videos or recreated dance trends, a Four Corners and triple j Hack investigation into the social media platform has revealed some sinister details into how the app operates.

The report that was published this week claims that TikTok discriminates against certain groups and political views, and deliberately shares dangerous content with vulnerable users.

To keep you updated and informed, here’s what we learnt from Four Corners and Hack’s investigation into TikTok.

TikTok collects your infomation.

The key to TikTok’s success is all in the algorithm (computerised instructions). Once you’ve downloaded the app and signed up, TikTok begins collecting data about you: your age, gender, location and facial data.

From here, any videos you ‘like’, accounts you ‘follow’, and even watching a video to the end all help the algorithm learn about what you’re interested in. With that information, TikTok gives you an endless stream of videos tailored to your interests, handpicked by the algorithm.

TikTok's algorithm gives you a personalised feed after harvesting your data. But if it decides you should see misinformation or dangerous content, it'll send you down a disturbing spiral that can affect your life.

Our @triplejHack #4Corners investigation:https://t.co/febldfsXpd

— Avani Dias (@AvaniDias) July 25, 2021

TikTok is influencing disordered eating.

By far the biggest impact that TikTok has had as revealed by the report is influencing disordered eating through the algorithm. Featuring in the investigation is 19-year-old Lauren Hemming. She discusses how she joined for the same reason everyone did: to get a good laugh.

Very quickly though the algorithm showed her a video by a fitness influencer who had been tracking their food intake to lose weight. After choosing to follow them, similar videos kept showing up in Hemming’s 'For You' page.

“I was no longer seeing funny dance videos or anything. It was just like this complete focus on that fitness and healthy lifestyle goal,” she said.

“Before TikTok, calorie counting had never crossed my path.”

Fast forward four months since being on TikTok and Lauren was diagnosed with an eating disorder.

Hemming isn’t the only one. 22-year-old Clair Benstead was in recovery from an eating disorder when she downloaded the app. Unfortunately, the app very quickly served her up videos that she claims made her eating disorder worse.

“I wasn’t recovering at all. I was actively relapsing,” Benstead said.

Benstead tried to clean up her feed by reporting videos that promoted eating disorders, but she was told the videos she reported didn't breach TikTok's guidelines. 

To prove that the algorithm is serving up videos relating to eating disorders to vulnerable viewers, Dr Suku Sukunesan from Swinburne University downloaded TikTok and engaged in the eating disorder community.

“I was imeddiately given all this eating disorder content. After a couple of hours, TikTok suggested 30 different account to follow and they were all people living with eating disorder issues,” he said.

There are big censorship concerns surrounding TikTok.

It’s not only the harmful eating disorder content that TikTok is serving up. The investigation found that TikTok is also guilty of censoring and discriminating against BIPOC communities and some political views.

Perth influencer Unice Wani has over 600,000 followers. She rose to popularity by performing viral dances, but also uses her platform to raise awareness about racism against Black woman. Recently, she has noticed her videos discussing race and racism are being hidden from the TikTok feed, something users call a ‘shadow ban’ which they say is a reflection of the algorithm’s biases.

“You tend to get a lot of shadow bans for speaking up about stuff such as racism,” Wani said.

“I guess they focus more on the white girls dancing and stuff like that.”

University of Melbourne AI researcher Dr Niels Wouters explains in the investigation why this is the case.

“As humans, we all have biases. So, when we create an algorithm, we are absolutely at risk of embedding our own biases in these algorithms.”

To make matters worse, a leaked TikTok policy document from last year instructed moderators to censor posts by users considered “ugly, poor, or disabled," preferring to highlight white, attractive people.

How has TikTok responded?

In response to the Four Corners/Hack investigation, TikTok issued a statement denying they promote harmful content or censor certain users and political views.

“We do not allow content that promotes suicide, self-harm or eating disorders. When a user searches for terms related to these issues, we don’t return results and instead direct them to local helplines such as the Butterfly Foundation,” the statement said.

“Diversity is central to what makes the TikTok community thrive. Black creators, Indigenous Australians, LGBTQIA+ creators and differently abled people are a critical and vibrant part of our platform.”

How can you seek help?

If you're struggling with an eating disorder or body image issues and feel like you need some extra support, then the Butterfly Foundation is a fantastic and helpful resource. You can check out their website here or call their helpline on 1800 33 4673.

Additionally, we've got some tips for what to do if you come across distressing content on TikTok here. 

Are you experiencing suicidal thoughts, sexual assault or domestic and family violence? Seeking to support someone who is? Call Lifeline on 131 114 or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800. 

If you or anyone you know needs help, support is available now. Call Lifeline on 131 114 or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800. Visit ReachOut to get support to help you with everything from everyday issues through to tough times.

Header Image: Four Corners/Hack