TikTok is 'severely damaging' young people — unlike its Chinese equivalent, 'The Anxious Generation' author tells BI

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2025-01-24 19:30:09

"TikTok is severely damaging children in the Western world, whereas the version in China is very different and is much more pro-social and is not damaging their generation," said Jonathan Haidt, a professor at NYU Stern School of Business and the author of "The Anxious Generation."

TikTok does not operate in China, where consumers can use the Douyin app. Douyin is subject to different regulations, including the Chinese Communist Party's censorship rules.

Douyin's users are generally older than TikTok's and it has introduced measures to curb online addiction. Douyin has a "youth mode," which limits users under 14 to just 40 minutes a day and locks them out between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. daily.

A less restrictive version of youth mode limits the content that users between 14 and 18 can view through the search function.

Douyin has said it pushes "enriching" content related to general knowledge and educational material to users in youth mode, BI previously reported.