TikTok

TikTok became the fastest-growing social media platform in history, reaching 1.5 billion users — and the most geopolitically controversial. Concerns about Chinese government access to user data led to bans or restrictions in India, the US, and the EU. Its algorithm, optimised for addictive short-form content, has been linked to declining attention spans and teen mental health crises. The US passed a law in 2024 requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban, escalating the app into a proxy for US-China tensions.