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TikTok Made Social Media Worse for Everyone (Even If You Don't Use It)

Snugg Team|February 2, 2026|7 min read
Timeline showing how TikTok's algorithm influenced other social media platforms


I don't use TikTok, and I never have, but over the past few years, I've watched Instagram and Facebook become almost unrecognisable—and it took me a while to understand why.

The short version: TikTok figured out how to keep people scrolling for longer than any platform before it. And when those numbers became public, every other platform copied the formula.

The result is that social media in 2026 is designed, quite deliberately, to be addictive. Not as a side effect. As the core product.

What Changed in 2020

In August 2020, Instagram launched Reels—a feature that Instagram's own head of product admitted was "inspired by" TikTok. YouTube launched Shorts shortly after, and the feature has grown rapidly: by 2023, Google reported over 2 billion logged-in monthly users watching Shorts, with daily views reaching 70 billion. Facebook followed with its own short-form video push.

These weren't just new features. They signalled a fundamental shift in how these platforms work.

Before 2020, social media mostly showed you content from people you chose to follow. After 2020, every major platform adopted TikTok's approach: show people whatever keeps them on the app longest, regardless of whether they asked for it.

The numbers tell the story. According to recent research, the average TikTok user now spends around 55 minutes per day on the app—compared to 35 minutes for Instagram and 30 minutes for Facebook. TikTok's average session length is nearly 11 minutes, almost double the next closest platform.

Those aren't accidents. They're the result of very specific design choices.

What the Internal Documents Revealed

In October 2024, NPR uncovered internal TikTok documents that had been accidentally left visible in court filings. What they revealed was striking.

TikTok's own research found that it takes approximately 260 videos for a user to form a habit—to become, in their words, "addicted to the platform." Since TikTok videos can be as short as 8 seconds, that threshold can be reached in under 35 minutes.

The documents also showed that TikTok's internal research acknowledged "compulsive usage correlates with a slew of negative mental health effects like loss of analytical skills, memory formation, contextual thinking, conversational depth, empathy, and increased anxiety."

They knew. The Nebraska Attorney General's released excerpts show TikTok internally admitted the "product in itself has baked into it compulsive use."

How the Algorithm Actually Works

The difference between old social media and the TikTok model is straightforward:

Before (Instagram 2012-2019):

  • Show posts from people you follow

  • Roughly chronological order

  • You catch up with friends, then you're done

  • Natural stopping points


After (2020-present):
  • Show whatever keeps you watching longest

  • Personalised to your specific psychological triggers

  • Infinite scroll with no end point

  • No sense of "caught up"


A Wall Street Journal investigation in 2021 found that TikTok's algorithm learns remarkably quickly what content will keep individual users engaged. The system tracks not just what you like or share, but how long you watch, whether you rewatch, and even where you pause.

The goal isn't to show you what you want. It's to show you what you'll watch.

Every Platform Copied It

Once TikTok's engagement numbers became public, the rest of the industry followed.

The timeline:

  • 2020: TikTok reaches 100 million US users

  • August 2020: Instagram launches Reels

  • September 2020: YouTube launches Shorts

  • Late 2020: Facebook introduces similar features


But copying the feature wasn't enough. The platforms also copied the algorithmic approach—prioritising content that maximises time spent over content from people you actually follow.

I wanted to understand how much this had changed my own experience, so I sat down and counted every single item in my Instagram and Facebook feeds for an hour.

The results:

  • Instagram: 50% content from people I follow, 38% advertising, 11% suggested content from strangers

  • Facebook: 38% content from people I follow, 40% suggested content from strangers, 22% advertising


Less than half of what I see on these platforms comes from people I choose to follow. The rest is content chosen by an algorithm optimised to keep me scrolling.

The Design Tactics

The Nebraska Attorney General's filing revealed specific design tactics that TikTok's internal documents describe as "coercive":

  • Variable rewards: You never know what you'll see next—the same psychology that makes slot machines addictive

  • Infinite scroll: No stopping point, no sense of completion (I wrote about why finite feeds matter)

  • Auto-play: Content starts immediately, removing the friction of choice

  • Constant notifications: Pulling you back into the app


The documents note that TikTok "affects its users psychologically similar to a slot machine" and that the platform achieves its success from features that "limit user agency."

The Mental Health Connection

The timing here is worth noting:


The leaked documents showed TikTok's own research acknowledged the connection. According to NPR's reporting, TikTok's internal research found that compulsive usage "interferes with essential personal responsibilities like sufficient sleep, work/school responsibilities, and connecting with loved ones."

When TikTok tested time-limiting tools, they found almost no impact—usage dropped by only about 1.5 minutes. One TikTok project manager was quoted saying: "Our goal is not to reduce the time spent."

I'm not saying TikTok caused all mental health issues. But they perfected a formula that other platforms then copied.

Why This Matters Even If You Don't Use TikTok

You can delete TikTok. But unless you also delete Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook, you're still experiencing the effects of TikTok's approach.

Because TikTok didn't just build an app. They demonstrated to the entire industry that maximising time spent—regardless of user wellbeing—produces better engagement metrics. And every major platform adjusted accordingly.

The shift was straightforward:

Instagram before: "Here are photos from your friends"
Instagram after: "Here's content chosen to keep you scrolling"

YouTube before: "Here are videos you searched for or subscribed to"
YouTube after: "Here's an endless feed of Shorts designed to keep you watching"

The Business Model Problem

The underlying issue is straightforward: these platforms make money from advertising, and advertising revenue scales with time spent.

The old model:
1. Connect people
2. They find value
3. They keep coming back
4. Show them relevant ads

The current model:
1. Maximise time spent using psychological techniques
2. Show more ads during that extended time
3. User wellbeing is secondary to engagement metrics

This shift wasn't about improving the product for users. It was about improving the product for advertisers. (I wrote more about why social media without ads is the only path forward.)

What This Looks Like in Practice

The experience is probably familiar:

  • You open Instagram to check on friends

  • Twenty minutes later you're watching videos from accounts you don't follow

  • You haven't seen a single post from someone you know

  • You close the app feeling like you've wasted time

  • You open it again an hour later anyway


This pattern isn't accidental. It's the intended outcome of design choices made to maximise engagement metrics.

The Specific Changes

Here's what changed on each platform after 2020:

Instagram:

  • Feed shifted from chronological to algorithmic

  • Reels (short videos) pushed aggressively over photos

  • "Suggested posts" from strangers now make up a significant portion of the feed

  • The "Following" feed (showing only accounts you follow) is buried in settings


YouTube:
  • Shorts now generate over 70 billion daily views and dominate the homepage

  • The average Shorts session lasts around 14 minutes—similar to TikTok's engagement patterns

  • Autoplay is difficult to fully disable

  • Recommendations increasingly prioritise Shorts over the long-form content YouTube was built on

  • Over 70% of channels now upload Shorts, as the algorithm rewards this format


Facebook:

These changes all followed the same pattern: prioritise content that maximises time spent over content from people you actually chose to follow.

What You Can Do About It

Some practical steps:

Reduce exposure:

  • Set screen time limits (iPhone: Settings → Screen Time; Android: Settings → Digital Wellbeing)

  • Delete apps that consistently leave you feeling worse

  • Turn off notifications for social media apps


Use workarounds where they exist:
  • Instagram: Use the "Following" feed (tap the Instagram logo, select "Following")

  • YouTube: Turn off watch history to limit recommendations

  • Facebook: Unfollow pages to reduce algorithmic content


Build alternative channels:
  • Create a group chat with close family or friends

  • Share photos directly rather than through social feeds

  • Use platforms that don't rely on algorithmic engagement


Reframe the problem:
The difficulty you have putting down these apps isn't a personal failing. These platforms employ teams of people whose job is to make them as engaging as possible. The design is working as intended—just not for your benefit.

What I'm Building

Full disclosure: I'm building Snugg as an alternative to this model.

The approach:


What it isn't:
  • A replacement for TikTok or Instagram

  • A platform designed for viral content

  • Optimised for time spent


The goal is connection, not engagement metrics. Whether the big platforms will ever return to that model seems unlikely—their business depends on the current approach.

The Bottom Line

TikTok demonstrated that deliberately addictive design produces better engagement metrics. Every other major platform then adopted similar approaches. The result is that social media in 2026 is fundamentally different from what it was in 2015—and not in ways that benefit users.

The platforms have the internal research showing the effects. They've made their choices based on business priorities.

If you want social media that prioritises connection over engagement, you'll likely need to look beyond the major platforms. I documented the full timeline of when social media got this bad if you want to see exactly when these changes happened.

Summary

What happened:

  • TikTok built an algorithm optimised for time spent (~55 minutes daily average)

  • Every other platform copied the approach after 2020

  • Social media shifted from showing you content from people you follow to showing you whatever maximises engagement


Why it matters:
  • Even if you don't use TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook all adopted similar tactics

  • Internal documents show platforms knew about negative effects and continued anyway

  • The business model (advertising revenue) incentivises this approach


What you can do:
  • Set time limits and delete apps that consistently leave you feeling worse

  • Use workarounds like Instagram's "Following" feed where available

  • Build direct communication channels outside algorithmic platforms

  • Understand that difficulty disengaging is the intended design outcome


If you're interested in an alternative approach:

I'm building Snugg—small private groups, chronological feeds, no ads, no algorithm. It's not trying to replace Instagram or TikTok. It's trying to provide something different: social media designed for connection rather than engagement.

Join the waitlist: snugg.social

Sources & Further Reading

1. CNN Business - "Instagram Reels: TikTok copycat launches in US" (2020)
https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/05/tech/instagram-reels-us/index.html

2. TechCrunch - "Google says 2 billion logged in monthly users are watching YouTube Shorts" (2023)
https://techcrunch.com/2023/07/25/google-says-2-billion-logged-in-monthly-users-are-watching-youtube-shorts/

3. NPR - "TikTok knows its app is harming kids, new internal documents show" (2024)
https://www.npr.org/2024/10/11/g-s1-27676/tiktok-redacted-documents-in-teen-safety-lawsuit-revealed

4. NPR - "Going deeper into some claims in legal filings against TikTok" (2024)
https://www.npr.org/2024/10/14/nx-s1-5150579/going-deeper-into-some-claims-in-legal-filings-against-tiktok-that-npr-uncovered

5. Nebraska Attorney General - "Released Excerpts from Internal TikTok Documents" (2024)
https://ago.nebraska.gov/news/released-excerpts-internal-tiktok-documents

6. Wall Street Journal - "Investigation: How TikTok's Algorithm Figures Out Your Deepest Desires" (2021)
https://www.wsj.com/video/series/inside-tiktoks-highly-secretive-algorithm/investigation-how-tiktok-algorithm-figures-out-your-deepest-desires/6C0C2040-FF25-4827-8528-2EB6612ED99C

7. US Surgeon General - "Social Media and Youth Mental Health Advisory" (2023)
https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/reports-and-publications/youth-mental-health/social-media/index.html

8. Awisee - "Time Spent on TikTok Statistics" (2025)
https://awisee.com/blog/time-spent-on-tiktok-statistics/

9. Snugg Blog - "I Counted Every Ad on Instagram and Facebook for One Hour"
/blog/instagram-47-ads-per-hour

About Snugg: We're building a private social platform for small groups. No ads, no tracking, no surveillance. Just end-to-end encrypted conversations with the people you actually care about.

Learn more: snugg.social
Questions: hello@snugg.social

About the Author - Sam Bartlett

I'm a yacht surveyor based in the Caribbean and the founder of Snugg. After 15 years watching social media platforms prioritise ads over genuine connection, I decided to build the alternative. I previously built and ran a successful sailing holiday business, topping Google search results for years before algorithm changes destroyed organic reach. I'm not a developer or privacy activist—just someone who got tired of platforms that forgot their purpose. When I'm not building Snugg or surveying yachts, I wish everyone had more time for sailing in beautiful places (or whatever brings you joy).

Connect with me:



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