Our investigation with Amnesty International and the Algorithmic Transparency Initiative uncovers the impact of TikTok’s algorithms on youth mental health. Using 40 automated "sock puppet" accounts and manually personalized accounts, we analyzed content targeting supposed 13-year-olds in Kenya, the Philippines, and the USA.

Our findings:

• In the Philippines, a mental health video appeared within 67 seconds, followed by content centered on anxiety, depression, or self-harm—over half of the recommendations in 12 minutes.
• In the USA, similar themes emerged in under three minutes, with many posts normalizing or glorifying suicide.
• Kenyan accounts progressed slower but eventually showed 72% mental health-related posts in 40 minutes.

None of this content was created by mental health professionals. These findings reveal the risks of TikTok’s recommendation system, underscoring the urgent need for ethical accountability and safer online spaces for youth.