May 8, 2025

Kristie Kim

10th Grade

John F. Kennedy High School

Have you ever wondered what keeps you mindlessly scrolling on TikTok for hours without realizing it? As one of the most popular media platforms of the current generation, TikTok has crafted a subtle yet powerful strategy that fuels its addictive nature. 

At the heart of the user experience is a highly personalized stream of content curated by TikTok’s algorithm. When a user repeatedly engages through the app’s features, including “likes,” “comments,” and “shares,” the app detects these behaviors through a point-based system. It then uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze this behavior and tailor the “For You” page to match each user’s unique interests. By aligning the “For You” page with a user’s specific interests, an endless cycle is influenced upon users, encouraging a prolonged usage of the app. The longer a user stays active on the app, the more accurate the AI-powered filter system becomes in narrowing down suggested content. As a result, users’ attentiveness becomes maximized, and compulsive mannerisms become fueled for every interaction.

When an initial TikTok’s algorithm reaches its limit to mass-generate certain content or a user enters a state of boredom, the app’s scrolling feature allows users to refresh the “For You” page as a slot machine, in hopes of finding the next play that will be more entertaining than the last. Such an impression that augments further engagement and incites a sense of thrill ensures a greater screen time spent on the app. This obsessive behavior of users is closely demonstrated to be analogous to a common demeanor found in other social media apps and staking odds, currently referred to as a form of “gambling,” a type of addiction, by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5).

After examining all elements of TikTok’s designs, strategies, and motives, it is clear that the platform exploits its users’ cognitive biases to keep them hooked. By delivering a continuous stream of appealing, AI-generated content, the “For You” page induces limitless scrolling. As a result, users experience a form of addiction known as “gambling” that ultimately influences modern compulsive behavior (social media addiction).