TikTok settles just before social media addiction trial to begin • Hacker News Board

Re: TikTok settles just before social media addiction trial to begin

#21

Post by SunshineTheCat » Tue, Jan 27, 2026, 9:35 PM UTC

I 100% agree with the premise that TikTok is addictive and even dangerous to consume in large amounts (that's why I don't consume it at all).

But I feel the exact same about cheeseburgers. Should I be able to sue McDonalds if I let my kid eat 100 of them in one sitting?

Again, I get the danger here, and I don't like TikTok as a whole. I just don't really know where the line is between something that the parent is allowing kids to do (like spending a billion hours on TikTok), versus something they have no control over (like a company badly constructing a car seat, or similar).

Re: TikTok settles just before social media addiction trial to begin

#22

Post by publicdebates » Tue, Jan 27, 2026, 9:35 PM UTC

izend wrote: post #15

publicdebates wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TikTok's algorithm is significantly better and therefore more addictive. I'm speaking from personal experience, having spent about 12-14 hours a day on TikTok for probably 360 days during 2024. Getting banned from it was one of the best things that ever happened to me. Too bad it only happened in Jan 2025. Will never get that year back, or the mental health I lost from it. (I'm not going to sue, though I could defini…

"I'm speaking from personal experience, having spent about 12-14 hours a day on TikTok for probably 360 days during 2024" My jaw is on the floor... Can you provide details of your usage, were you just going through video after video for 12-14 hours or were you involved in content production or something?

Scrolling videos, commenting, expanding my algorithm by searching for similar stuff to what I liked, sometimes watching lives, sometimes hosting lives or joining lives. Maybe about 70% scrolling videos and 28% lives and 2% creating.

I should mention that I was very financially successful due to TikTok. Around Christmas of 2023, my book got over 20M views and shot up to #122 on all Amazon books, until KDP just stopped offering it within a few hours. I wonder how high it would have gone.

But due to that success, I lost both drive and purpose. I had already made it, and it wasn't clear what else I could offer the world. So while I thought about it, I scrolled to pass the time. But that scrolling was endless and addictive. And I never made any progress on figuring out the question of what I'm good for.

Re: TikTok settles just before social media addiction trial to begin

#23

Post by mikestew » Tue, Jan 27, 2026, 9:36 PM UTC

OGEnthusiast wrote: post #4

Why is TikTok always singled out in these social media addiction lawsuits? Instagram and YouTube are just as guilty, if not more so.

Oh, they’re coming for IG, too:

“IG is a drug”: Internal messages may doom Meta at social media addiction trial

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/01/tiktok-settles-h...

Re: TikTok settles just before social media addiction trial to begin

#24

Post by thinkingtoilet » Tue, Jan 27, 2026, 9:37 PM UTC

SunshineTheCat wrote: post #21

I 100% agree with the premise that TikTok is addictive and even dangerous to consume in large amounts (that's why I don't consume it at all). But I feel the exact same about cheeseburgers. Should I be able to sue McDonalds if I let my kid eat 100 of them in one sitting? Again, I get the danger here, and I don't like TikTok as a whole. I just don't really know where the line is between something that the parent is all…

I'm trying to read this with the best of intentions, but you're saying you really can not tell the difference social media and a cheeseburger in terms of access, addiction, and damage?

Re: TikTok settles just before social media addiction trial to begin

#25

Post by sheikhnbake » Tue, Jan 27, 2026, 9:37 PM UTC

SunshineTheCat wrote: post #21

I 100% agree with the premise that TikTok is addictive and even dangerous to consume in large amounts (that's why I don't consume it at all). But I feel the exact same about cheeseburgers. Should I be able to sue McDonalds if I let my kid eat 100 of them in one sitting? Again, I get the danger here, and I don't like TikTok as a whole. I just don't really know where the line is between something that the parent is all…

I think the line is the same as vapes/cigarettes. It's less about the product itself and more how its advertised and marketed. Internal memos from Meta are pretty damning in that they know they're actively harming kids and not adjusting their product for harm reduction. I imagine TikTok has the same problem, prompting them to settle out early.

Re: TikTok settles just before social media addiction trial to begin

#26

Post by zeroonetwothree » Tue, Jan 27, 2026, 9:38 PM UTC

SunshineTheCat wrote: post #21

I 100% agree with the premise that TikTok is addictive and even dangerous to consume in large amounts (that's why I don't consume it at all). But I feel the exact same about cheeseburgers. Should I be able to sue McDonalds if I let my kid eat 100 of them in one sitting? Again, I get the danger here, and I don't like TikTok as a whole. I just don't really know where the line is between something that the parent is all…

The evidence doesn’t seem to support your claim that cheeseburgers are as addicting as social media.

Maybe if you had picked gambling or alcohol…

Re: TikTok settles just before social media addiction trial to begin

#27

Post by iberator » Tue, Jan 27, 2026, 9:39 PM UTC

izend wrote: post #15

publicdebates wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TikTok's algorithm is significantly better and therefore more addictive. I'm speaking from personal experience, having spent about 12-14 hours a day on TikTok for probably 360 days during 2024. Getting banned from it was one of the best things that ever happened to me. Too bad it only happened in Jan 2025. Will never get that year back, or the mental health I lost from it. (I'm not going to sue, though I could defini…

"I'm speaking from personal experience, having spent about 12-14 hours a day on TikTok for probably 360 days during 2024" My jaw is on the floor... Can you provide details of your usage, were you just going through video after video for 12-14 hours or were you involved in content production or something?

Those are not crazy numbers for unemployed people. If you want a real shocker: TikTok is EXTREMELY popular amongst 60+ men, consuming stuff like teenagers plus super naive...

Just check out hospitals or elderly shelter thing.

Re: TikTok settles just before social media addiction trial to begin

#28

Post by SunshineTheCat » Tue, Jan 27, 2026, 9:39 PM UTC

thinkingtoilet wrote: post #24

SunshineTheCat wrote: post #21

I 100% agree with the premise that TikTok is addictive and even dangerous to consume in large amounts (that's why I don't consume it at all). But I feel the exact same about cheeseburgers. Should I be able to sue McDonalds if I let my kid eat 100 of them in one sitting? Again, I get the danger here, and I don't like TikTok as a whole. I just don't really know where the line is between something that the parent is all…

I'm trying to read this with the best of intentions, but you're saying you really can not tell the difference social media and a cheeseburger in terms of access, addiction, and damage?

Yes, of course I understand the addictive difference. The point I'm making is: does parental decision making have any bearing on this, or can they knowingly allow their child to do something harmful and then sue because it turned out poorly.

Re: TikTok settles just before social media addiction trial to begin

#29

Post by expedition32 » Tue, Jan 27, 2026, 9:42 PM UTC

SunshineTheCat wrote: post #21

I 100% agree with the premise that TikTok is addictive and even dangerous to consume in large amounts (that's why I don't consume it at all). But I feel the exact same about cheeseburgers. Should I be able to sue McDonalds if I let my kid eat 100 of them in one sitting? Again, I get the danger here, and I don't like TikTok as a whole. I just don't really know where the line is between something that the parent is all…

Tech companies know exactly what they are doing. They deliberately sell crack to kids- some of the people who make money from it are here on HN so good luck with getting any honest discussion.

Re: TikTok settles just before social media addiction trial to begin

#30

Post by SunshineTheCat » Tue, Jan 27, 2026, 9:43 PM UTC

zeroonetwothree wrote: post #26

SunshineTheCat wrote: post #21

I 100% agree with the premise that TikTok is addictive and even dangerous to consume in large amounts (that's why I don't consume it at all). But I feel the exact same about cheeseburgers. Should I be able to sue McDonalds if I let my kid eat 100 of them in one sitting? Again, I get the danger here, and I don't like TikTok as a whole. I just don't really know where the line is between something that the parent is all…

The evidence doesn’t seem to support your claim that cheeseburgers are as addicting as social media. Maybe if you had picked gambling or alcohol…

That has nothing to do with the point being made. The point was about to what level parents are responsible for things they allow their kids to do, regardless of how "addictive" it is. Particularly if they know it's harmful.