Meta and TikTok let harmful content rise after evidence outrage drove engagement

Whistleblowers from Meta and TikTok have told the BBC that both companies knowingly allowed more harmful content in user feeds after internal research showed outrage-driven content boosted engagement. A Meta engineer revealed senior management instructed teams to permit more 'borderline' content—including misogyny and conspiracy theories—to compete with TikTok's growth. Internal Meta documents show the company was aware its algorithms amplified outrage and that financial incentives were misaligned with user wellbeing. Instagram Reels launched in 2020 with significantly higher rates of bullying, hate speech, and violent content than the main feed, yet safety teams were denied additional staff while 700 were hired to grow Reels. A TikTok trust and safety employee showed the BBC internal dashboards revealing political cases were prioritized over child safety reports, including cases of sexual blackmail involving minors. Both companies deny the allegations, with Meta calling the claims wrong and TikTok calling them fabricated.